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BY 

HORATIO  W.  DRESSER 

Methods  and  Problems  of 
Spiritual  Healing. 

12° $i.oo 

The  Power  of  Silence. 

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The  Perfect  Whole. 

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Voices  of  Hope. 

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In  Search  of  a  Soul. 

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Voices  of  Freedom. 

With  portrait,  12°     .     .     .     .   $1.25 

Education  and  the  Philosophical 
Ideal. 

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Living  by  the  Spirit. 

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The  Heart  of  It. 

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Q.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
New  York  London 


Education 

AND  THE 

Philosophical  Ideal 


BY 

HORATIO  W.  DRESSER 

Author  of  '•  The  Power  of  Silence,"  ''The  Perfect  Whole," 
*'  Voices  of  Freedom,"  *'  Living  by  the  Spirit,"  etc. 


*You  shall  educate  me,  not  as  you  will,  but  as  I  will." — Emerson 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

Wdc  ftnicketbocfter  press 

1900 


UB815 


(PENERK^ 


0 


Copyright,  1900 
By  HORATIO  WILLIS  DRESSER 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 
By  G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


Ube  Iknicftetbocftet  |)re00,  l^ew  ItJorft 


PREFACE 

THE  doctrine  of  this  book  is  not  put  forward  as 
a  mere  theory  of  education.  In  its  pages 
education  passes  imperceptibly  into  life,  and  life 
becomes  philosophical.  Its  theory  is  therefore 
rather  an  appeal  to  all  that  is  noblest  in  life  than  a 
detailed  educational  scheme.  The  main  thesis  is 
that  life  itself  is  educational,  that  the  individual 
possesses  instincts  which,  if  freely  followed,  lead 
the  way  to  fullest  self-expression  and  the  service  of 
humanity.  Books,  education,  and  experience  furn- 
ish the  occasion,  put  the  soul  in  self-command ;  the 
soul  is  the  consequential  factor.  All  life  should 
therefore  be  adapted  with  the  spiritual  ideal  in 
view.  Self-knowledge,  self-discipline,  and  self- 
mastery  are  of  more  importance  than  any  know- 
ledge which  the  teacher  can  give.  To  these  the  soul 
should  be  free  to  add  such  educational  opportunities 
as  it  demands.  Thus  to  choose  and  thus  to  help, 
every  soul,  every  teacher,  must  understand  life  phi- 
losophically, must  dedicate  his  life  to  the  Spirit. 
The  educational  ideal  is  thereby  absorbed  into  the 
larger  ideal  of  the  spiritual  life.  Thus  considering 
it,  I  have  ventured  even  to  include  immortality  as 
essential  to  this  broader  point  of  view.     The  value 


IV  Preface 

found  in  this  book  will  accordingly  depend  far  more 
upon  the  reader's  philosophical  ability  and  spiritual 
experience  than  upon  the  knowledge  of  conventional 
theories  and  methods  of  education. 

It  is  always  difficult  to  classify  those  who  are  on 
the  move.  But  if  after  reading  deeply  in  Chapters 
XL  and  XII.  the  reader  still  persists  in  classifying 
this  book,  let  him  put  it  down  as  the  work  of  an  in- 
dependent philosophical  student  who  writes  because 
he  must.  Yet  the  spiritual  ideal  for  which  the  book 
was  chiefly  written  appears  least  in  these  philosophi- 
cal chapters.  The  deeper  doctrine  is  stated  in  its 
most  philosophical  form  in  Chapter  XIII.  But 
the  reader  will  be  glad  to  turn  from  this  more  tech- 
nical discussion  to  the  chapter  on  immortality,  in 
which  the  spiritual  ideal  is  given  its  broadest  and 
most  human  expression.  With  the  exception  of  the 
last  chapter,  and  portions  of  a  few  others,  the  book 
is  wholly  new,  scarcely  a  page  having  appeared  in 
print  in  its  present  form.  The  book  occupies  an 
independent  position,  and,  although  a  logical  out- 
growth of  them,  is  not  to  be  judged  by  previous 
volumes,  or  by  reference  to  any  particular  doctrine 
of  which  the  author  is  thought  to  be  an  exponent. 
What  is  true,  is  true  in  its  own  right ;  and  because 
an  author  reveals  leanings,  it  does  not  follow  that 
he  accepts  all  the  tenets  of  a  sect  with  which  he  is 
sometimes  classed. 

Boston,  July,  1900, 


CONTENTS 


Introduction 
I.  The  New  Point  of  View 
II.  Educational  Ideals 

III.  Equanimity 

IV.  The  Subconscious  Mind    . 
V.  The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

VI.  An  Experiment  in  Education 
VII.  The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 
VIII.  An  Ideal  Summer  Conference 
IX.  The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit    . 
X.  The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil 
XI.  The  Philosophical  Ideal 
XII.  The  Criteria  of  Truth  . 

XIII.  Organic  Perfection 

XIV.  Immortality 

Index    


PAGE 
I 

lO 

i8 

52 

73 

93 

112 

125 
136 

143 
153 
173 
197 

247 


EDUCATION  AND 
THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    IDEAL 


INTRODUCTION 

Every  ultimate  fact  is  the  first  of  a  new  series. — Emerson. 

IT  IS  seldom  that  the  general  reader  is  treated  to  a 
more  genuine  surprise  than  in  meeting  for  the 
first  time  a  statement  like  the  following  from  Emer- 
son's essay  on  Plato  ^:  **  No  power  of  genius  has 
ever  yet  had  the  smallest  success  in  explaining  exist- 
ence. The  perfect  enigma  remains/'  These  words 
are  surprising  because,  until  one  thinks  deeply,  one 
confidently  believes  that  the  mystery  of  life  has 
been  solved,  at  least  by  the  wise  men;  and  when 
the  wisest  seer  of  our  times  declares  that  existence 
is  still  an  enigma,  it  is  naturally  very  startling. 

Yet  the  wisest  philosophers  are  the  first  to  confess 
that  **  Here  we  are,'*  and  that  is  the  utmost  we  can 
say  when  we  undertake  to  settle  the  ultimate  of  uU 
timates.  Why  we  exist  we  do  not  fully  know.  How 
the  world  came  to  be,  we  know  not ;  we  know  only 

*  Representative  Men, 


2  Introduction 

what  evolution  has  told  us  concerning  its  later  his- 
tory. We  have  theories,  but  they  are  only  theories, 
and  a  new  hypothesis  is  no  sooner  propounded  than 
fatally  serious  objections  are  raised. 

We  know  that  the  universe  is  a  law-governed 
system,  and  science  has  advanced  wonderfully  since 
Emerson  declared  life  to  be  still  enigmatical.  We 
long  ago  learned  that  every  effect  has  a  cause,  and 
reason  assures  us  that  anterior  to  all  causes  must  be 
the  Uncaused,  since  something  could  not  have 
sprung  from  nothing.  But  why  the  Uncaused 
should  have  manifested  itself — if  indeed  the  world 
ever  had  a  beginning — we  do  not  know.  All  we 
can  say  is,  that  it  is  probably  its  nature  to  manifest 
itself.  Why  the  Uncaused  should  exist  with  such 
a  nature  is  no  less  a  mystery.  We  may  say  it  was  a 
necessity,  but  that  is  concealing  ignorance  behind 
a  word.  Our  sincerest  statement  is  simply,  the  uni- 
verse exists  and  we  live  in  it.  If  we  had  a  begin- 
ning, it  is  lost  in  the  dim  lights  and  shades  of  our 
obscurest  dream  memories,  and  no  attempt  to  recall 
our  history  has  thus  far  led  to  the  discovery  of  what 
we  most  eagerly  long  to  know. 

However,  we  are  here.  It  is  a  delight  to  live  and 
to  try  to  solve  the  mystery.  It  is  endlessly  amusing 
to  listen  to  those  who  believe  they  have  solved  it, 
and  are  eager  to  describe  God  and  rehearse  all  his 
motives.  It  is  a  far  greater  delight,  having  confessed 
our  ignorance,  to  settle  down  to  the  wisest  occupa- 
tion in  life,  namely,  to  cultivate  ourselves  to  the 
full,  that  we  may  learn  what  may  be  made  out  of  life 


Introduction  3 

through  the  pursuit  of  truth,  virtue,  beauty,  and  the 
service  of  our  fellowmen. 

After  all,  it  would  be  annoyingly  prosaic  to  solve 
the  mystery.  It  would  be  stultifying  to  become 
perfect,  to  walk  the  golden  streets  day  after  day  and 
find  no  change.  The  zest  of  pursuit,  the  novelty  of 
ever-mutative  days  and  months  and  years  keeps  the 
mind  perpetually  young.  Life  can  never  become  a 
burden  to  those  who,  in  all  the  freshness  and  en- 
thusiasm of  healthy  thought,  awaken  each  morning 
to  look  out  upon  another  day,  eager  to  know  what 
new  mystery  it  holds.  For  a  mind  alert  and  active, 
life  could  not  be  better  constituted  than  it  is.  The 
greater  the  enigma  the  better,  if  only  it  be  so  great 
that  it  can  never  be  solved. 

Life,  therefore,  is  through  and  through  an  experi- 
ment, and  we  the  experimenters  seek  to  make  of  it 
what  we  can,  always  remembering  that  what  we 
make  to-day  may  be  outdone  or  discarded  by  what 
we  make  to-morrow.  For  no  one  knows  what  man 
is  yet  to  be,  how  he  is  to  live,  and  what  powers  are 
to  be  his  —  possibly  on  other  planets.  Every  ideal 
is  relative  to  the  condition  of  mind  of  the  seer  who 
proclaims  it.  What  is  called  **  the  Absolute  '*  is  a 
pleasing  conceit  of  speculative  fancy.  Forward  is 
the  only  ultimate  word.  Every  new  summit  is  sure 
to  reveal  a  novel  and  enticing  landscape  beyond. 

It  would  seem  as  though  we  might  sometime 
complete  the  circuit.  Then  what  ?  Drearily  repeat 
it  ?  No,  then  were  the  universe  a  deceit  indeed, 
and  only  a  machine  after  all.      Rather  say  that  two 


4  Introduction 

identically  similar  situations  never  occur.  The 
novelty,  the  surprise  sometimes  even  outbalances 
the  familiar,  the  known.  Every  circumstance  is  a 
new  combination.  To  the  end,  and  that  means 
that  there  is  no  end,  life  for  the  wide-awake  soul  is 
an  experiment,  and  at  any  time  new  factors  are 
likely  to  be  discovered  in  our  problem. 

This  being  so,  it  is  wisdom  to  adjust  ourselves  at 
the  beginning,  and  make  up  our  minds  that  educa- 
tion will  never  cease.  It  is  impossible  nowadays 
**  to  prepare  "  for  a  science  or  profession,  and 
thereby  become  masters  of  all  that  is  known.  Even 
Euclid's  geometry,  the  authority  for  ages,  now  has 
a  rival  in  the  field. 

Once  adopted,  the  attitude  of  constant  readjust- 
ment is  far  from  unpleasant.  It  is  a  healthy  state 
of  mind,  this  holding  of  all  problems  in  solution. 
It  immediately  lifts  one  above  time  and  place  and 
the  mind  grows  young  with  the  ages.  It  does  away 
with  all  the  dogmatism,  conceit,  intolerance,  and 
intellectual  aristocracy  which  have  encumbered 
human  progress.  It  insists  upon  entire  democracy 
of  spirit,  and  the  newest  experimenter  is  welcomed 
as  at  any  time  likely  to  upset  our  profoundest 
theories.  What  a  reformation  this  attitude  would 
make  if  it  were  universal  the  mind  can  hardly  con- 
ceive, since  so  few  have  as  yet  attained  it. 

Of  course  the  critic  will  immediately  declare  that 
this  is  a  very  extreme  point  of  view,  that  there  really 
is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,  and  all  this  talk 
about  readjustment  is  uncalled  for.     The  disciple 


Introduction  5 

of  progress  is  at  once  prepared  to  meet  this  objec- 
tion by  admitting  that  what  is  truest  is  old,  and 
that  the  new  always  supplements  and  assimilates 
the  old.  But  the  critic's  attitude  is  not  the  state 
of  mind  of  the  one  who  most  keenly  appreciates  the 
spirit  of  his  age.  One  would  not  think  of  going  to 
him  for  instruction.  Even  the  old  must  be  studied 
in  new  form,  and  it  is  not  the  conservative  who 
teaches  that.  Let  us  rather  follow  those  who  err  on 
the  other  side,  and  hereafter  devote  more  of  our 
time  to  the  cultivation  of  the  spirit  of  progress  than 
to  the  preservation  of  what  is  hoary  and  reverend. 

If  the  reader  accepts  this  point  of  view  as  applied 
to  education,  he  will  probably  follow  the  clue  even 
unto  immortality.  For  if  anything  be  experimental, 
it  is  the  future  life.  This  statement  does  not  imply 
that  the  existence  of  a  future  life  is  in  doubt,  for 
there  is  abundant  moral  and  spiritual  evidence  for 
immortality;  but  that  each  soul  will  enter  the 
future  as  into  the  most  enticingly  novel  experiment. 
It  is  only  one  step  more  to  the  premise  that  the 
universe  itself  is  an  experiment :  it  is  given  us  by 
the  Father  to  see  what  development  it  will  produce 
in  us.  Not  that  the  universe  is  in  any  sense  chaotic 
or  inharmonious.  Not  that  its  continued  existence 
is  at  all  uncertain,  or  its  goodness  at  all  problem- 
atical. So  far  as  its  law-governed,  wonderfully 
exact,  wisely  adapted,  and  nobly  beautiful  system 
is  concerned,  the  universe  is  no  experiment;  it  is  far 
from  being  an  enigma.  Mathematically  and  uni- 
versally it  may  be  depended  upon  to  return  action 


6  Introduction 

for  action.  But  each  man  learns  its  laws  experi- 
mentally, and  no  man  as  yet  knows  all  of  these. 
For  each  it  is  also  an  experiment  because  certain  of 
its  materials  are  plastic.  For  each  it  is  virtually 
what  each  man's  enlightenment  makes  it.  Thus 
the  experiment  enlarges  as  the  soul  unfolds.  Mean- 
while the  Father  watches,  and,  watching,  unifies 
the  contributions  of  finite  souls,  not  into  the  form 
of  hard-and-fast  fatalism,  but  into  the  plastic  life 
which  for  ever  makes  anew  for  organic  perfection. 
The  eternal  beauty  presides  over  the  becoming  as 
well  as  over  the  remaining.  Ever  the  Spirit  whis- 
pers its  word  of  promise  as,  pausing,  it  perennially 
passes  onward,  onward  and  upward  for  ever.  The 
great  secret  of  life  is  to  feel  that  passing  touch,  to 
reveal  its  beauty  to  men.  Words  fail,  yet  suggest 
the  indescribable.  The  Spirit  will  see  to  it  that 
sometime  all  shall  know  the  grandeurs  and  beauties, 
the  peace  and  tenderness  of  that  progressive  vision. 
Thus,  for  better  or  worse,  our  point  of  view  is 
progressive,  and  the  reader  may  expect  it  to  shift 
even  while  he  turns  from  chapter  to  chapter.  For 
there  is  no  consistency  possible  to  the  growing  mind, 
except  harmony  with  the  inner  Spirit  as  it  wells 
afresh  into  the  inspirations  of  the  new  moment. 
Forms  come  and  go.  Terms,  methods,  and  systems 
have  their  day.  It  is  the  Spirit  that  abides,  and 
the  Spirit  dwells  ever  in  the  advancing  life.  It  may 
again  and  again  declare  the  same  message,  but  what 
it  reveals  to-day  is  of  supreme  worth,  not  what  it 
manifested  in  the  past.     For  the  gospel  of  the  past 


Introduction  7 

IS  true  to-day  only  in  so  far  as  it  bears  the  new  em- 
phasis of  our  time.  Each  day  may  reveal  the  same 
great  laws  and  teach  the  same  great  lesson.  But 
its  meaning  is  apprehended  in  its  fullest  sense  only 
when  interpreted  in  the  light  of  the  new  aspects 
which  the  progressive  chemistry  of  our  experiment 
reveals — ever  crystallising,  yet  ever  surprising  the 
observer  with  new  combinations. 

Lest  the  reader  fear  that  our  point  of  view  be 
founded  on  quicksand,  let  us,  however,  supplement 
what  at  one  time  threatened  to  be  mere  agnosticism 
by  turning  from  the  experimental  or  human  side  to 
a  brief  statement  of  the  system  by  which,  starting 
with  existence  as  given,  the  universe  is  to  be  inter- 
preted in  this  volume. 

1.  The  fundamental  principle  is  that  within  and 
behind  all  that  comes  and  goes,  all  that  appears  so 
enigmatical  but  is  in  deepest  truth  the  product  of 
wisest  foresight,  the  great  All-Father  exists,  the 
supreme  Spirit,  eternal,  omnipresent ;  the  immanent 
source  of  all  life,  all  power,  all  beings  and  forms, 
holding  them,  holding  all  experiments  together  as 
one  harmonious  system. 

2.  The  second  great  principle  is  the  existence  of 
the  human  soul,  or  the  real,  permanent,  spiritual 
self  in  each  of  us,  differing  in  each,  in  each  having 
some  spiritual  meaning  as  related  to  the  contests 
and  triumphs  of  our  personal  and  social  evolution. 

3.  The  universe,  visible  and  invisible,  is  the  ex- 
pression or  embodiment  of  Spirit,  progressively  re- 
vealing itself  as  system,   reason,   beauty,  unity  in 


8  Introduction 

variety,  activity,  repose,  involution  and  evolution, 
power,  peace,  love,  wisdom,  the  divine  fatherhood 
and  motherhood. 

4.  Since  Spirit  is  progressively  revealed,  human 
life  is  progressive  and  should  be  studied  in  the 
making.  It  is  comprehensible  only  in  the  light  of 
the  advancing  whole. 

The  soul  is  born  in  ignorance  of  these  great  facts 
that  it  may  through  individual  experience,  contrast, 
experiment,  struggle,  pain,  victory  over  physical  sen- 
sation, and  triumph  over  selfishness,  through  self- 
knowledge,  self-control,  and  self-help,  not  only  learn 
the  value  of  the  spiritual  life,  but  uplift  its  fellows, 
and  contribute  to  the  glory  and  beauty  of  the 
spiritual  universe. 

Thus  evil  springs  from  selfishness,  which  in  turn 
is  due  to  ignorance.  Disease  is  disproportion,  ugli- 
ness, neglect  of  the  beautiful  law  of  harmony  which 
decrees  that  in  no  direction  shall  there  be  excess. 

Freedom  from  pain,  evil,  and  their  consequences 
comes  not  merely  through  soundness  of  physical 
life,  through  self-enlightenment,  self-control,  and 
poise,  but  through  the  dedication  of  self  in  all-round 
adjustment  to  the  promptings  of  the  creative  Spirit. 

5.  Within  each  of  us  there  is  a  purposive  instinct, 
a  divine  guidance,  which,  if  faithfully  followed,  will 
lead  into  all  truth.  But  as  man  is  many-sided, 
physical,  intellectual,  moral,  social,  and  spiritual, 
the  laws  of  all  these  sides  must  be  obeyed.  Each 
prompting  of  the  resident  creative  energy  must  be 
understood  on  its  own  plane. 


Introduction  9 

6.  The  great  lesson  of  life  is  harmonious  adjust- 
ment to  the  immanent  Spirit,  unceasingly  welling 
up  into  manifestation  as  beauty  of  form  and  nobil- 
ity of  life,  guiding  the  soul  in  the  development  of 
originality  of  thought  and  strength  of  character, 
through  the  power  of  love  and  the  sense  of  duty. 

7.  The  prime  essential  is  therefore  to  awaken  to 
spiritual  consciousness,  to  knowledge  of  the  fact  that 
each  of  us  is  a  social  member  of  eternity  in  the  re- 
public of  the  Spirit.  For  as  all  life  is  in  reality 
spiritual,  and  the  soul  is  by  birthright  a  master,  all 
conduct  should  be  guided  by  the  ideals  of  creative 
activity  and  spiritual  service.  Here  and  now,  the 
soul  dwells  in  an  eternal  spiritual  world  whence  it 
may  draw  wisdom,  life,  and  power  at  need.  Here 
and  now,  it  may  transcend  the  bondages  of  space 
and  time,  so  that  death  itself  shall  lose  its  ter- 
rors, and  all  experiences  shall  be  understood  from 
the  point  of  view  of  progressively  higher  and  higher 
planes. 

Man  awakens  to  his  full  dignity  as  an  individual 
soul  only  when  thus  viewing  his  life  from  the  point 
of  view  of  the  whole,  when  educating  himself  as  an 
eternal,  universal  being.  He  is  first  of  all  a  crea- 
tive agent,  building  as  no  man  ever  built  before. 
Through  him  the  great  universe  reproduces  itself 
afresh,  through  him  the  All-Father  beholds  himself 
anew. 


oftke 
1    l/N/VERs/Tv   ■; 

\  OF  / 

CHAPTfiR  I 

THE  NEW  POINT  OF  VIEW 

The  consummate  product  of  a  world  of  evolution  is  the  character 
that  creates  happiness,  that  is  replete  with  dynamic  possibilities  of 
fresh  life  and  activity  in  directions  for  ever  new. — John  Fiske. 

THE  remarkable  transition  period  in  which  we 
live  is  witnessing  a  noteworthy  change  of  atti- 
tude in  regard  to  that  persistently  fascinating  thing 
which  we  call  human  life.  Instead  of  the  old  com- 
plaint at  the  existing  order  of  things,  a  complaint 
which  uttered  its  dying  word  in  Mr.  Moody's  last 
sermon,  **  Sin  is  the  most  real  thing  in  the  world/* 
there  is  a  growing  belief,  inspired  by  a  sound  phi- 
losophy of  evolution,  in  the  inherent  goodness  of 
man,  the  glorious  possibility  that  every  characteris- 
tic in  man  may  sometime  serve  the  Spirit.  Instead 
of  the  old  theory  of  a  divine  providence  and  a 
disjointed  world,  torn  asunder  by  a  persistently 
threatening  adversary,  we  now  have  as  a  practical 
faith  the  knowledge  which  modern  science  has  so 
long  and  so  nobly  inculcated,  the  knowledge  that 
the  world-process  is  a  unit.  Formerly,  the  crying 
question  was,  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?  Now, 
the  problem  is.  Granted  life,  how  may  we  make  it 

10 


The  New  Point  of  View  1 1 

better  ?  What  is  the  meaning  of  life  as  it  exists 
to-day,  and  what  may  it  become  by  co-operative 
social  and  ethical  activity  ? 

Would-be  reformers  still  unsparingly  condemn 
the  present  social  order,  it  is  true,  and  urge  upon 
us  their  artificial  Utopian  schemes.  Many  exceed- 
ingly earnest  people  spend  their  lives  whetting  dis- 
content among  the  labouring  classes.  But  every 
deeply  thoughtful  person  now  knows  that  all  reform 
begins  within  and  with  the  individual,  and  spreads, 
through  gradual  evolution,  out  of  to-day  into  to- 
morrow. Consequently,  the  progressive  life  of  our 
time  may  be  said  to  inspire  those  only  who  voice 
this  new  belief  in  the  unity  of  the  cosmos  and  the 
solidarity  of  the  race. 

Although  this  change  of  attitude  is  already  so 
marked  in  its  effect  upon  theology  and  upon  methods 
of  reform,  few  people  as  yet  realise  its  radical  influ- 
ence upon  the  details  of  daily  life.  The  majority 
know  only  that  the  old  order  is  disappearing  and 
that  a  new  is  coming,  ushering  in  changes  so  great 
that  no  one  is  far-sighted  enough  to  prophesy  the 
result.  It  is  well,  then,  before  we  consider  the 
specific  problems  of  this  book,  to  examine  this  re- 
formation in  detail — that  is,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to 
detect  its  scope  and  meaning.  ^^ 

Many  causes  are  assignable  for  the  growth  of  this 
new  spirit.  Some  would  no  doubt  attribute  it  to 
the  spreading  of  what  may  be  called  the  new  de- 
mocracy. In  a  sense,  it  is  the  direct  outgrowth 
of  the  principles  of  liberty  and  equality  on  which 


12  The  New  Point  of  View 

the  American  republic  is  founded.  But,  undoubt- 
edly, the  one  factor  without  which  all  this  de- 
velopment would  have  been  impossible,  is  the  rise 
and  wide-spread  acceptance  of  the  doctrine  of  evolu- 
tion. Many  secondary  causes  have  played  their 
part,  but  it  was  the  contributions  of  Darwin,  Wal- 
lace, Spencer,  and  their  immediate  predecessors 
and  followers  in  the  scientific  world,  which  furnished 
the  new  background  on  which  these  other  issues 
could  be  displayed  to  advantage. 

Philosophy  had  long  ago  prepared  the  way  for 
belief  in  the  unity  of  the  world-process:  it  was 
modern  science  which  supplied  the  evidence  or 
proof,  by  showing  that  all  forces  are  so  many  di- 
verse forms  of  one  ultimate  energy.  The  evidence 
once  at  hand,  philosophers  could  place  it  in  its  true 
light,  could  carry  out  their  doctrine  more  in  detail ; 
and,  beginning  where  science  paused,  show  what 
this  one  energy  is,  how  the  whole  great  scheme  of 
divine  self-manifestation  is  realised  in  the  wonder- 
ful processes  which  science  had  so  graphically 
described. 

The  cosmic  process  accepted  as  a  unit,  the  second 
great  advance  was  made  through  the  discovery  of 
the  evolutionary  origin  of  evil.  What  had  before 
been  either  an  absolute  mystery,  or  the  subject  to 
which  theology  claimed  exclusive  right,  now  began 
to  be  very  clear  and  to  become  generally  under- 
stood. For  when  man's  kinship  with  and  indebted- 
ness to  the  lower  animals  was  established,  it  at  once 
became  evident  whence  came  those  tendencies  and 


The  New  Point  of  View  13 

powers  which  had  heretofore  been  deemed  the  out- 
growths and  penalties  of  original  sin. 

The  origin  of  evil  accounted  for,  it  was  an  easy 
step  to  the  conclusion  that,  if  the  race  is  a  unit, 
making  for  perfection,  every  faculty  and  power  of 
man  may  be  turned  to  good.  Therefore,  instead  of 
condemning  man*s  lower  nature  and  calling  it  "  bad,'* 
it  henceforth  became  simply  the  lower  as  contrasted 
with  the  higher,  not  in  itself  evil,  but  simply  unde- 
veloped. Thus  was  swept  away  the  very  foundation 
on  which  the  entire  orthodox  theological  structure 
rested.  And  although  many  people  do  not  yet  real- 
ise it,  there  was  not  the  slightest  reason  left  for  belief 
in  either  the  fall  of  man  or  a  propitiatory  saviour. 

Thus  Jehovah  was  left  without  an  occupation. 
His  office  of  miraculous  creator  had  been  taken  from 
him  by  the  discovery  that  the  universe  is  eternal, 
and  all  new  genera  and  species  the  product  of  un- 
told ages  of  evolution.  And  now  he  was  deprived 
of  his  right  not  only  as  an  interfering  providence, 
but  as  an  angry  father  whose  son  must  be  slain  in 
order  to  assuage  the  terrible  power  of  his  burning 
wrath. 

But  what  a  marvellously  warm,  loving,  tender 
substitute  modern  science,  with  the  help  of  philo- 
sophy, has  provided !  Life  is  now  known  to  be^  a 
unit  because  all  its  processes  and  forces  reveal  one 
immanent,  omnipresent  Spirit,  ever  manifesting 
wisdom,  love,  power,  through  the  infinitely  beauti- 
ful system  in  which  he  perpetually  resides.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  never  in  the  history  of  thought  has 


14  The  New  Point  of  View 

any  revelation  equalled  in  depth  and  grandeur  this 
discovery  of  the  immanent  God,  whose  presence 
modern  science  has  declared.  Few  people  in  our 
day  will  realise  the  stupendous  importance  of  this 
great  revelation. 

It  has  followed  as  a  natural  consequence  of  these 
new  beliefs  that,  as  the  old  pessimism  disappeared 
and  a  sound  meliorism  took  its  place,  all  emphasis 
should  be  placed  on  the  good,  the  ideal,  or  positive 
side,  that  the  constructive  spirit  should  displace 
the  old  intolerance  and  despair.  The  new  attitude 
towards  the  world  means  implicit  faith  in  the  world, 
belief  in  men,  hope  for  every  darksome  problem 
and  for  every  crying  issue.  Hence  our  modern 
philanthropy,  and  the  better  part  of  what  is  called 
socialism,  is  the  logical  consequence  of  this  determ- 
ination to  help  man,  instead  of  trying  to  save  him 
(in  case  he  chooses  to  accept  your  creed).  The 
larger  sympathy  of  the  age  very  beautifully  voices 
this  faith  in  the  integrity  of  the  race,  and  the  earn- 
est zeal  which  once  spent  itself  in  anxious  prayers 
for  the  lost  has  now  become  the  practical  endeavour 
which  prompts  the  new  democracy. 

There  are  social  problems  enough  to.be  solved  to 
employ  all  the  energy  of  these  earnest  men  and 
women  who  are  trying  to  make  life  better.  There 
is  even  more  demand  for  conscientious  zeal,  for  we 
now  know  the  magnitude  of  our  problem.  But  we 
also  know  the  law  which  governs  all  reform,  and  so 
we  can  calmly  and  patiently  adjust  ourselves  in 
conformity  with  the  methods  of  evolution. 


The  New  Point  of  View  15 

Again,  there  is  boundless  inspiration  in  the 
modern  belief  in  the  dignity  and  worth  of  the  in- 
dividual. This  faith  in  the  right  of  every  human 
soul  to  exist  is  an  indissoluble  part  of  the  new  be- 
lief in  society  as  a  democratic  organism.  We  all 
know  nowadays  that,  however  the  social  problem  is 
solved,  it  must  take  equal  account  of  the  individual 
as  such  and  the  individual  as  member  of  a  social 
whole.  Each  man  must  have  every  possible  oppor- 
tunity to  make  what  he  can  of  himself,  yet  each  is 
expected  to  contribute  his  share  to  the  general  de- 
velopment. Thus  the  individual  is  not  the  pitiable 
personage  who  might  possibly  have  a  chance  under 
the  old  regime  in  case  his  sins  were  forgiven.  He 
has  the  right  to  hold  his  head  up  and  be  a  man  in 
his  own  sphere.  He  is  regarded  as  through  and 
through  free, — that  is,  potentially, — and  as  capa- 
ble of  mastering  any  unfavourable  circumstance  in 
which  he  may  be  placed. 

This  belief  in  individual  freedom  is,  of  course, 
much  older  than  the  modern  doctrine  of  evolution. 
It  began  far  back  in  the  Middle  Ages  when  the 
doctrines  of  Abelard,  and  others  who  believed  in 
the  rights  of  individual  reason,  spread  in  France  and 
Italy ;  and,  combining  with  the  spirit  of  the  Renais- 
sance, prepared  the  way  for  the  Protestant  Reform- 
ation. Without  this  great  movement  and  the  reform 
instituted  by  Martin  Luther  and  his  contemporaries, 
the  great  scientific  development  of  our  century  would 
have  been  impossible.  For  it  was  not  until  man 
was  free  to  think  for  himself  that  the  remarkable 


1 6  The  New  Point  of  View 

reaction  from  theology  changed  the  balance  of 
power  from  the  authority  of  the  Church  to  the 
authority  of  natural  law.  Yet  it  was  not  until  this 
individualistic  growth  began  to  take  the  particular 
shape  which  Darwin  and  Spencer  gave  it  that  the 
change  of  attitude  became  complete. 

He  who  understands  the  new  point  of  view  must 
follow  the  guidance  of  the  historical  spirit,  for  the 
change  is  intelligible  only  in  the  light  of  all  the 
causes  which  produced  it,  although  coming  to  a 
climax  with  the  acceptance  of  the  doctrine  of  evolu- 
tion. And  he  who  would  intelligently  choose  his 
place  in  this  great  modern  movement  must  take 
into  account  these  its  many  sides,  already  briefly 
suggested.  The  new  movement  is  both  a  new  in- 
dividualism and  a  new  democracy,  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent idea  of  God  and  salvation,  and  a  thoroughly 
altered  conception  of  the  oneness  of  life.  The  re- 
action began  not  only  with  the  revolt  of  reason,  but 
with  the  struggle  between  the  popes  and  the  states 
for  supremacy.  The  ancient  theological  hierarchy 
was  gradually  overthrown,  and  the  impetus  then 
given  did  not  cease  until  the  world  became  not  a 
papal  but  a  secular  unit,  not  a  theological  but  a 
scientific  scheme.  And  now,  in  these  modern  days, 
when  everyone  is  becoming  free  in  all  respects,  we 
look  back  upon  the  impressive  ages  wherein  man 
struggled  for  the  freedom  we  now  enjoy>  with  pro- 
found satisfaction  that  at  last  we  are  unifying  in  one 
great  system  of  evolutionary  idealism  all  that  was 
noble,  all  that  was  sacred,  all  that  was  true,  in  each 


The  New  Point  of  View  17 

of  these   branches  of  knowledge  which  separated 
themselves  from  the  parent  theological  unity. 

Thus  the  new  point  of  view  is  synthetic  in  a  sense 
which  no  one  will  fully  appreciate  until  society  shall 
have  advanced  a  few  stages  further.  Then  mankind 
will  awaken  to  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  there  is  a 
profound  harmony  not  only  between  the  processes 
of  natural  evolution,  the  activities  of  individual  and 
social  life,  but  between  all  these  phases  of  develop- 
ment and  that  which  we  call  the  spiritual,  that  in 
reality  the  entire  process  is  spiritual.  Until  then 
there  is  every  reason  to  specialise  in  each  of  these 
departments,  so  that  physical,  individual,  ethical, 
social,  and  religious  evolution  may  be  carried  to  the 
full,  unconsciously  contributing  —  while  seeming  to 
be  struggling  for  separate  existence — to  the  coming 
unity  in  the  higher  social  state  of  the  Spirit,  in 
which  all  hostile  differences  shall  be  dissolved. 


CHAPTER  II 

EDUCATIONAL  IDEALS 

Education  consists  in  leading  man,  as  a  thinking,  intelligent  being, 
growing  into  self-consciousness,  to  a  pure  and  unsullied,  conscious, 
and  free  representation  of  the  inner  law  of  divine  unity. — Froebel. 

WITH  every  new  discovery  made  by  the  human 
mind  a  need  is  felt  for  the  reconstruction 
of  our  terminology  and  the  rewriting  of  our  text- 
books. The  great  discoveries  of  Galileo,  Coperni- 
cus, and  Newton,  of  Columbus  and  the  navigators 
who  succeeded  him,  are  instances  in  point.  This 
was  pre-eminently  the  case  with  the  publication  and 
wide-spread  acceptance  of  the  doctrine  of  evolution 
whose  profound  influence  we  have  considered  in  the 
foregoing  chapter.  Indeed,  the  acceptance  of  this 
doctrine  meant  so  much  that  histories,  scientific 
works,  and  philosophical  text-books  written  pre- 
vious to  the  development  of  the  new  historical 
spirit  are  almost  of  no  value  except  as  curiosities. 
And  the  time  will  come  when  every  treatise  on 
theology  or  religion  will  be  out  of  date  unless  it  be 
rewritten  in  the  light  of  the  latest  researches  in 
comparative  religion  and  the  higher  or  historical 
criticism. 

In  these  modern  days  of  unprecedented  interest 

i8 


Educational  Ideals  19 

and  development,  when  new  discoveries  are  made 
more  rapidly  than  even  the  scholar  can  take  cognis- 
ance of  them,  there  is  special  need  for  the  re- 
construction of  all  theories  of  education.  Many 
important  discoveries  have  been  made  of  which 
education  has  not  taken  proper  account.  This  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  world  in  general  has  not 
given  these  discoveries  the  recognition  which  they 
deserve,  and  because  education  is  still  largely  in 
subjection  to  influences  which  have  not  yet  re- 
sponded to  the  most  advanced  thought  of  our  time. 

I  refer  not  merely  to  the  contributions  of  evolu- 
tion, as  already  considered,  but  to  discoveries  in 
regard  to  the  higher  or  spiritual  nature  of  man, 
studies  which,  because  of  their  deep  significance, 
demand  a  reformation  in  many  of  our  standards. 
Historically  speaking,  these  discoveries,  like  those  of 
scientific  evolutionists,  are  not  wholly  new.  They 
date  far  back  to  ancient  India;  they  were  made 
and  remade  in  Palestine ;  there  have  been  seers  in 
all  ages  and  in  all  civilised  lands  who  understood 
their  transcendent  importance.  But  it  has  remained 
for  our  own  age  to  realise  the  practical  value  of  these 
great  revelations,  and  to  place  them  on  a  basis 
where,  in  connection  with  the  philosophy  of  evolu- 
tion, they  may  become  potent  factors  in  all  future 
education.  ^ 

What  these  discoveries  are  we  shall  consider  from 
chapter  to  chapter,  since  they  will  appear  in  our  dis- 
cussion in  their  proper  places  as  practical  factors  in 
daily  life.     Suffice  it  at  this  point  that  in  general 


20  Educational  Ideals 

they  relate  to  the  soul  as  the  highest  centre  of  all 
evolution,  the  home  of  individuality  and  the  fund- 
amental reality  in  all  thought,  our  life  in  mind,  our 
closest  communion  with  each  other.  These  dis- 
coveries therefore  bear  an  intimate  relation  to  the 
great  doctrine  of  the  imoiaiieiit  Spirit.  They  are 
candidates  for  a  yet  higher  point  of  view  than  that 
of  mere  evolution,  namely,  the  attempt  to  trace 
evolution  to  its  source  in  that  spiritual  involution 
which  is  the  very  life  and  cause  of  the  stupendous 
variety  of  the  visible  world. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  soul,  studied  in  re- 
lation to  the  immanent  Spirit,  the  chief  function  of 
life  is  spiritual  creativeness.  The  soul  is  part  and 
parcel  of  the  process  of  creation.  It  is  potentially 
master  of  forces  and  tendencies  which,  seen  from 
the  lower  point  of  view,  limit  and  imprison  us  oh 
every  side.  Its  function  is  therefore  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  part  assigned  it  by  conventional 
education. 

Current  education  exists  largely  for  the  training 
of  the  intellect.  The  standards  are  intellectual,  the 
methods  are  the  results  of  ages  of  intellectual  evolu- 
tion. Without  these  methods  our  universities  could 
not  exist.  Surely  no  one  who  understands  the  hu- 
man mind  doubts  the  wisdom  of  this.  We  must 
have  training,  discipline,  accuracy,  system,  if  we 
are  to  have  education  in  the  highest  sense.  Nature 
is  a  system.  Human  society  is  a  law-governed  or- 
ganism. The  entire  universe  is  regulated  by  law. 
We  must  therefore  have  trained  minds  to  interpret 


Educational  Ideals  21 

that  law.  There  is  nothing  more  deplorable  in  cer- 
tain kinds  of  so-called  spiritual  doctrine  than  vague- 
ness, mysticism,  disloyalty  to  fact.  We  need  more 
and  more  t,hose  who  appreciate  what  a  fact  is,  who 
know  how  to  state  it,  free  from  the  preconceptions, 
prejudices,  and  inclinations  which  so  often  warp  and 
distort.  One  of  the  greatest  needs  of  this  or  any 
age  is  the  thinker,  he  who  understands  the  laws  of 
the  universe  as  revealed  in  history,  in  nature,  and 
in  human  society ;  who  is  capable  of  working  out 
life's  problems,  aided  but  not  hampered  by  books 
and  men. 

Yet,  when  all  this  has  been  said,  there  remains 
the  danger,  and  it  has  always  been  a  threatening 
one,  that  the  higher  nature  may  be  crowded  out  by 
the  intellect.  By  the  higher  nature  I  mean  our 
finest  feelings,  our  intuitions,  insights,  inspirations, 
spiritual  faculties^  the  love  of  all  that  is  noblest, 
and  the  contemplative  life,  or  worship,  of  the  soul. 
Every  mind  in  which  the  scientific  interest  is  strong, 
and  the  higher  nature  strong,  too,  finds  it  necessary 
to  be  watchful  lest  analysis  intrude  on  the  sacred 
domain  of  insight,  and,  rudely  treading  there,  de- 
clare that  there  is  no  holy  ground  which  science 
shall  not  call  her  own. 

I  venture  to  lay  down  the  proposition  that  educa- 
tion can  fulfil  its  highest  purpose  only  by  promoting 
to  the  front  rank  this  same  neglected  higher  nature, 
by  insisting  that  spirit  shall  be  first  and  form  second- 
ary, that  the  inspirations  of  the  intuitive  faculty  are 
our  most  important  sources  of  knowledge,  our  surest 


22  Educational  Ideals 

guides  to  truth.  The  reasons  for  affirming  this  pro- 
position will  become  clear  by  a  consideration  of  the 
aims  and  possibilities  of  education. 

Since  education  is  to  fit  man  to  live, — that  is,  to 
train  him  to  be  an  all-round  being,  not  merely  prac- 
tical but  beautiful,  not  only  individual  but  social,  a 
thinker,  a  worker,  and  a  master, — its  true  basis  is 
practical  knowledge  of  the  art  of  life;  it  must  not 
be  separated  from  life.  And  life  in  its  fullest  sense 
is  not  merely  physical  and  intellectual,  but  spiritual ; 
it  springs  from  the  invisible  Reality  or  Spirit  behind 
all  evolution,  and  is  complete  only  through  the  reali- 
sation of  the  spiritual  ideal. 

Without  stopping  at  this  point  to  examine  the 
reasons  for  this  statement,  and  without  attempting 
to  justify  the  adoption  of  the  criterion  of  spiritual 
creativeness  as  the  supreme  test,  let  us  simply 
enounce  it  as  the  broadest  ideal,  that  the  aim  of 
education  is  the  creative  expression  of  the  God  or 
Spirit  in  us  through  individuality.  If  life  is  ultim- 
ately spiritual,  if  it  manifests  the  Spirit,  it  is  this 
ideal  which  alone  gives  to  education  the  central 
principle,  the  unity  which  it  must  possess  in  order 
to  be  consistently  progressive  from  infancy  to  so- 
called  old  age.  Fundamentally  speaking,  the  de- 
velopment of  the  spiritual  individual  must  ever  be 
of  more  consequence  than  the  development_^of  the 
scholar  or  the  training  of  the  merchant.  For  the 
scholar  is  essentially  the  man  of  learning,  the  mer- 
chant is  merely  practical,  while  the  spiritual  in- 
dividual is  the  mcLU  of  life  in  its  fullest,  broadest 


Educational  Ideals  23 

sense ;  he  who  not  only  teaches  men  how  to  think, 
and  how  to  earn  their  daily  bread,  but  who  shows 
them  how  to  find  and  to  manifest  that  Spirit  to 
whose  living  presence  we  owe  all  that  we  are. 

Thus  broadly  considered,  education  is  the  art  of 
expression,  the  expression  of  the  highest  that  is  in 
us  through  all-sided  development.  Its  ends  are :  to 
teach  men  the  laws  of  the  universe,  both  visible  and 
invisible;  to  teach  men  how  to  reason;  to  show 
them  how  to  meet  the  strenuous  life ;  to  make  clear 
the  supremacy  of  the  soul  over  circumstance;  to 
attain  the  highest  ideals  of  art,  poetry,  music, 
beauty ;  and,  highest  of  all,  to  develop  sympathy, 
to  teach  unselfishness,  the  value  and  power  of  serv- 
ice. The  educated  man  is  he  who  is  best  fitted  to 
serve  his  fellows,  he  who  dedicates  his  life  to  the 
highest  ideals  of  brotherhood. 

-  All  these  ideals  are  fundamentally  traceable  to 
the  great  fact  that  each  soul  is  a  unique  individual, 
a  fresh  experiment.  Each  bears  a  personal  relation 
to  the  Father.  Each  has  its  particular  message 
from  God  to  man.  Each  has  its  own  problem  to 
solve. 

Consequently,  the  history  of  the  individual  liberty 
for  which  our  ancestors  so  long  struggled  is  the 
record  of  the  soul's  evolution  inspired  by  this  di- 
vine ideal.  The  freedom  of  the  soul  is  attained  as 
rapidly  as  the  conditions  of  natural,  social,  and  in- 
tellectual evolution  permit,  until  that  time  when, 
conscious  of  its  real  part  in  life,  the  soul  begins  to 
command   its  own  circumstances.     The  individual 


24  Educational  Ideals 

consciousness,  understood,  furnishes  the  data  for 
the  solution  of  the  particular  educational  problem, 
and  therefore  gives  the  opportunity  for  the  expres- 
sion of  the  particular  divine  message.  The  entire 
individual  experience,  from  the  dawn  of  self-con- 
sciousness through  the  school  and  college  years, 
business  and  social  life,  the  struggles  with  self,  and 
the  problems  of  the  home,  of  marriage,  and  of  one's 
life-work,  is  the  education  of  the  soul,  the  contest 
of  the  soul  in  its  search  for  freedom  and  perfection. 
All  the  trials  and  tribulations,  the  obstacles  and 
hardships,  the  struggle  for  health  and  the  earnest 
endeavours  for  success,  are  parts  of  one  spiritual 
process  which  includes  every  day  and  hour  of  life. 
There  is  nothing  which  is  not  educational.  To  him 
who  understands  its  laws,  every  experience,  small  or 
great,  is  an  opportunity  for  the  triumph  of  the  soul. 
I  do  not  mean  that  this  ideal  is  necessarily  to  be 
talked  about  from  the  start, — it  cannot  in  its  full 
sense  be  explained  to  the  child ;  for  it  is  profound, 
all-inclusive,  universal,  and  is  to  be  fully  grasped 
only  after  much  thought  and  experience, — but  that 
it  is  to  be  the  implied  ideal  in  every  day  and  hour 
of  the  teacher's  life,  in  the  attitude  of  everyone 
not  merely  toward  the  child,  but  toward  the  man. 
In  the  home  and  in  the  schoolroom,  it  should  mat- 
ter more  whether  love  rules,  whether  there  is  pa- 
tience and  mutual  helpfulness,  than  whether  mere 
learning  is  acquired.  All  learning  is  to  be  subordi- 
nate to  the  learner,  all  vocations  are  to  be  subor- 
dinate to  the  man.     First  we  must  have  men  of 


Educational  Ideals  25 

character,  pure,  strong,  and  true.  And  this  ideal 
must  never  be  lost  sight  of;  we  must  never  forget 
that  we  are  primarily  dealing  with  souls. 

**  Man,  whatever  else  he  may  be,''  says  Professor 
James,  in  his  admirable  book.  Talks  to  Teachers  on 
Psychology  :  and  to  Students  on  some  of  Life  s  Ideals  y^ 
**  is  primarily  a  practical  being,  whose  mind  is  given 
him  to  aid  in  adapting  him  to  this  world's  life." 
Taking  account,  then,  of  the  fact  that  **  conduct  is 
three  fourths  of  life,"  man's  spiritual  education 
must  aim  first  of  all  at  the  production  of  men  and 
women  of  action,  those  who,  instead  of  leading  a 
life  of  good  intentions,  show  by  what  they  do  that 
they  really  believe  in  the  Spirit.  For  our  ideal  is 
not  the  production  of  dreamers,  vague  theorisers, 
and  visionary  skeletons.  It  means  that  man  shall 
not  be  less  but  more  practical  than  the  common- 
sense  men  of  affairs  of  our  time.  It  means  the  ele- 
vation of  conduct  to  its  true  place, — that  is,  it  must 
spring  from  the  highest  centre  within. 

For  it  is  clear  that  education  is  incomplete  unless 
it  enables  a  man  to  meet  all  the  practical  demands 
of  life.  Education  means  not  merely  self-expres- 
sion, but  self-knowledge,  and  the  progressive  ap- 
plication of  this  knowledge  to  conduct.  The 
educated  man  is  the  man  of  resources,  and  we  pro- 
pose to  add  to  these.  The  educated  man  is  he 
whose  trained  mind,  his  ready  perceptions,  and  his 
repose,  enable  him  to  adapt  himself  to  any  situation 
in  life,  whether  in  relation  to  nature,  to  society,  or 

1  New  York  :  Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  1899. 


26  Educational  Ideals 

the  struggles  of  his  own  interior  evolution.  He  is 
the  man  who  understands  and  controls  his  forces. 
And  this  means  everything,  from  physical  impulse 
to  spiritual  inspiration. 

We  must  reiterate  and  emphasise  the  fact  that 
education  is  for  the  whole  of  life.  It  is  to  prepare 
one  to  live  in  the  fullest,  noblest  sense.  The  de- 
sideratum is  the  evolution  of  the  ideal  man, — the 
man  of  power,  physically  strong,  intellectually  mas- 
terful, morally  sound,  and  socially  complete.  He  is 
to  represent  the  universe  from  an  individual  point  of 
view.  He  is  to  seize  upon  some  aspect  of  life  and 
express  it  as  no  man  has  expressed  it  before — to 
write  about  it,  to  paint  it,  to  understand  its  laws, 
reveal  its  beauty,  or  turn  it  to  practical  account  for 
the  benefit  of  humanity. 

It  is  evident  that  an  entire  philosophy  of  human 
nature  and  the  universe  is  involved  in  this  educa- 
tional ideal.  We  must  understand  the  philosophy 
before  we  can  intelligently  apply  the  ideal. 

What  is  the  central  purpose  of  life,  so  far  as  our 
limited  knowledge  permits  us  to  define  it  ?  From 
the  divine  point  of  view,  it  is  evidently  the  mani- 
festation through  evolution,  order  and  degree,  genus 
and  species,  in  one  universe  or  system,  of  power, 
form,  beauty,  life,  love.  There  are  as  many  distinct 
ideals  as  there  are  kinds  of  beings  and  things  in  the 
world  of  evolution.  There  are  ideals  of  physical 
organisation  and  form,  ideals  of  mental  life  and 
character.  Man,  the  epitome  of  all  beings,  evi- 
dently stands  in  a  measure   for   all   these   ideals, 


Educational  Ideals  27 

although  many  physical  ideals  attain  a  higher  de- 
gree of  perfection  among  the  lower  animals.  Yet 
he  is,  without  doubt,  to  be  judged  by  the  highest 
that  is  in  him,  always  reserving  a  large  sphere  for 
future  ideals  and  possibilities  as  yet  unknown  to  the 
wisest  of  men. 

If  man  is  an  immortal  spirit,  he  is  to  be  truly 
understood  only  from  the  point  of  view  of  his  eter- 
nally progressive  soul-life.  It  is  not  primarily  for 
the  body  that  he  lives,  not  as  a  financier  or  states- 
man that  he  is  to  be  permanently  known,  but  as  a 
soul. 

That  this  is  not  yet  fully  the  ideal  even  of  the  new 
education  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  so  much 
stress  is  still  laid  on  mere  acquirement.  But,  if  this 
high  ideal  is  to  be  realised,  soul-knowledge  must  be 
held  in  greater  esteem  than  knowledge  of  books. 
This  is  a  familiar  thought  to  exponents  of  the  new 
education.  But  I  mean  far  more  than  is  ordinarily 
understood  by  self-  or  soul-knowledge. 

The  term  '*  self,'*  as  used  in  the  psychologies  and 
treatises  on  education  now  in  vogue,  refers  to  the 
mind  in  its  association  with  the  brain;  that  is,  as 
feeling,  thought,  will.  It  is  a  sort  of  abstract  self, 
and  is  studied  apart  from  the  vital  problems  of  daily 
living. 

The  larger  knowledge  of  self  of  which  I  speak 
grows  out  of  concrete  experience,  contests  with  ill- 
health,  sorrow,  and  suffering.  It  includes  the  re- 
sults of  psychical  research,  the  therapeutic  value  of 
thought,  the  power  of  hope,  and  a  practical  idealistic 


28  Educational  Ideals 

philosophy.  It  gives  great  prominence  to  the  study 
and  development  of  the  subconscious  mind  as  a 
potent  factor  in  spiritual  education,  and,  as  already 
suggested,  is  deeply  concerned  with  the  soul  as  a 
creative  agent,  an  inspired  organ  of  the  divine 
nature,  likely  to  improve  upon  even  the  highest 
ideals  of  present-day  existence. 

In  order  to  pursue  the  educational  ideal  from  this 
point  of  view,  there  must  obviously  be  a  radical  re- 
form in  our  school  system.  If  poise,  soul-culture, 
and  spiritual  service  are  of  supreme  worth,  we  must 
put  an  end  to  all  forcing,  rushing,  and  cramming. 
There  must  be  moderation,  equanimity  in  all  things. 
There  must  be  times  for  silence,  meditation,  and 
inner  rest.  The  daily  life  must  be  so  arranged  that 
there  shall  be  opportunity  for  the  spontaneous  de- 
liverances of  the  subconscious  mind.  That  which 
profits  the  soul  must  be  held  in  higher  repute  than 
that  which  stimulates  the  proud  intellect  or  adds 
money  to  one's  purse. 

Obviously,  too,  the  teacher  must  add  a  new  ac- 
quirement. He  must  set  the  example  of  spiritual 
repose,  self-control,  and  patience.  He  must  teach 
more  by  what  he  is  than  by  what  he  says.  He 
should  inspire  in  his  pupils  a  love  for  that  which 
does  not  perish.  To  do  this,  he  must  have  time ; 
and,  in  order  to  have  time,  he  must  have  fewer  sub- 
jects to  teach.  This  means  that  the  pressure  system, 
under  which  the  boy  is  compelled  to  prepare  on  a 
certain  number  of  subjects  in  a  given  length  of  time, 
must  give  way  to  ideals  of  beauty  and  art,  which 


Educational  Ideals  29 

insist  first  of  all  that  everything  shall  be  done  well, 
that  one's  work  shall  be  a  finished  performance. 

This  educational  method,  of  course,  means  that 
the  reform  must  begin  at  the  root  of  American 
nervousness  and  rush.  Equanimity  must  become 
hereditary.  Children  must  be  born  on  a  higher 
plane,  from  spiritual  rather  than  from  physical  mo- 
tives. Our  boys  and  girls  must  be  better  equipped 
from  the  start,  and  from  infancy  to  maturity  be 
instructed  in  accordance  with  the  spiritual  ideal. 

The  higher  education,  therefore,  begins  long  be- 
fore the  birth  of  the  child.  The  parents  must  first 
rid  the  mind  of  the  old  theology,  the  old  fear  and 
pessimism,  then  devote  their  lives  to  the  new  ideals 
now  so  widely  accepted,  which  we  have  considered 
in  the  foregoing  chapter:  the  belief  in  the  inherent 
goodness  of  men,  salvation  through  character,  and 
also  the  ideal  of  the  attainment  of  perfect  health 
through  beauty  of  thought,  righteousness  of  life, 
and  spiritual  self-understanding. 

Prenatal  influence,  therefore,  has  much  to  do  with 
the  future  education  of  the  child.  The  mother 
should  live  as  far  as  possible  in  an  atmosphere  of 
idealism,  of  hope,  of  practical  optimism.  Her 
thoughts  should  be  centred  upon  the  broadly  in- 
clusive spiritual  ideal.  Her  home  should  be  the 
meeting-place  of  all  that  is  ennobling.  It  should 
be  a  house  of  peace,  of  moderation,  of  love,  so  that 
the  strongest  desire  implanted  upon  the  growing 
organism  shall  be  for  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  If  the 
child  is  brought  forth  in  love,  not  in  passion,   in 


30  Educational  Ideals 

peace,  not  in  excitement,  its  education  will  proceed 
far  more  easily ;  and  in  due  time  it  will  attain  a  high 
level  in  its  contests  with  conventional  life. 

Spiritual  education  is,  therefore,  universal  educa- 
tion. It  applies  to  every  detail,  to  every  plane  of 
life.  It  fits  man  to  adjust  himself  to  and  under- 
stand the  entire  universe,  to  become  truly  universal. 
Current  education  falls  short  of  this  because  its 
ideals  are  not  high  enough,  because  it  has  not  yet 
made  use  of  the  recent  discoveries  concerning  the 
subconscious  mind,  prenatal  influence,  and  the  power 
of  thought  on  the  body. 

That  the  reformation  of  our  educational  methods 
is  a  difficult  task  is  at  once  admitted.  Much  preju- 
dice will  be  encountered,  and  conventionality  will 
assert  its  might.  It  will  be  some  time  yet  before 
there  are  teachers  competent  to  teach  this  highest 
education.  But  simply  to  formulate  the  ideal  is  to 
make  a  beginning.  The  ideal  will  grow  in  power 
each  time  it  is  considered,  and  in  due  course  we 
shall  have  schools  specially  adapted  for  the  training 
of  those  who  are  to  inculcate  the  spiritual  ideal. 


CHAPTER  III 

EQUANIMITY 

When  everything  is  in  its  right  place  within  us,  we  ourselves  are 
in  equilibrium  with  the  whole  work  of  God. — Amiel's  Journal. 

A  FEW  years  ago  the  president  of  a  Western 
college  for  women  had  occasion  to  visit  the 
women's  colleges  in  the  East,  notably  Bryn  Mawr, 
Vassar,  and  Smith,  and  to  make  a  comparative  study 
of  the  young  women  in  these  colleges.  The  natural 
supposition  was  that  the  health  of  the  New  England 
young  women  was  superior  to  that  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania students.  But,  to  her  surprise,  the  observer 
found  that  the  Pennsylvania  young  women  were  gen- 
erally healthier  and  stronger.  Further  inquiry  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  a  large  percentage  of  the  students 
in  Bryn  Mawr  at  that  time  were  Quakers,  or  of  Qua- 
ker descent.  Here,  then,  was  the  reason.  The  serene 
life  of  the  Friends  resulted  in  greater  health  than 
the  more  robust  life  of  **  bleak  New  England.'*  No 
better  argument  could  be  found  in  favour  of  serenity. 
**  An  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of 
cure  "  ;  and  the  question  arises,  Is  it  not  better,  on 
the  whole,  to  live  that  kind  of  life  which  makes  dis- 
ease impossible  than  to  spend  one's  substance  on 

31 


32  Equanimity 

drugs  and  doctors  ?  If  so,  let  us  follow  out  this 
great  thought  as  essential  to  our  ideal  of  many- 
sided,  therefore  of  sound  education,  and  as  an  illus- 
tration of  some  of  the  discoveries  concerning  the 
inner  life  of  man  which  we  have  considered  in  the 
foregoing  chapter.  For  we  have  laid  it  down  as  a 
prime  essential  of  the  spiritual  ideal  in  education 
that  its  exponents  shall  possess  equanimity,  or 
inner  poise. 

In  the  case  of  the  Friends  the  results  are  doubt- 
less largely  spontaneous.  It  is  the  habit  of  their 
life  to  wait  in  silence,  and  they  already  possess  as  an 
hereditary  virtue  that  which  so  many  are  now  seek- 
ing self-consciously.  Is  it  possible  to  combine  the 
serenity  of  the  Friends  with  the  heightened  activity 
of  a  disciple  of  scientific  evolution  and  the  zealous 
seeker  after  more  and  more  spiritual  truth  ? 

Let  us  first  regard  the  problem  from  the  lower 
point  of  view.  What  is  the  physiology  of  poise  ? 
Careful  scientific  investigation '  has  revealed  the 
interesting  fact  that  the  functions  of  the  body  are 
maintained  through  rhythmic  action.  If  this 
rhythm  be  interfered  with,  of  course  the  normal 
functioning  of  the  organs  is  disturbed.  Anything 
which  disturbs  the  sympathetic  nervous  system  is 
likely  to  affect  this  natural  rhythm.  For  example, 
violent  emotion  quickens  the  rhythmic  action  of  the 
heart.  Anger  causes  the  capillaries  to  contract. 
Fear  reaches  the  very  extremities. 

^  See  The  Abdominal  Brain,  by  Byron  Robinson.  Clinic  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  Chicago. 


Equanimity  33 

In  general  terms,  any  emotional  excess  tends  to 
disturb  the  functions  of  the  body.  Passion  leads 
naturally  to  the  development  of  superfluous  heat, 
which  must  be  thrown  off  through  the  general 
system.  An  excessive  amount  of  food  put  into  the 
stomach  of  course  disturbs  the  natural  rhythm  of 
that  organ.  Excessive  stirrings  of  the  sex  nature 
are  likely  to  result  in  disturbances  of  the  throat  or 
in  undue  heating  of  the  eyes  and  brain.  The  results 
usually  bear  specific  names,  and  the  victim,  ignorant 
of  the  cause,  supposes  that  he  has  caught  an  exter- 
nal disease. 

It  is  obvious  that  many  diseases  are  directly  trace- 
able to  excess,  to  an  abnormal  amount  of  heat,  over- 
eating, and  the  almost  innumerable  excesses  which 
spring  from  nervous  hurry  and  tension.  If  man 
really  wishes  to  put  himself  in  a  thoroughly  sound 
condition,  he  must  strike  at  the  heart  of  all  these 
difficulties  by  adopting  as  his  absolute  rule.  Nothing 
to  excess. 

Yet  physical  excess  is  only  one  phase  of  the  sub- 
ject. In  order  to  understand  the  power  of  equan- 
imity as  a  source  pf  health,  we  must  inquire  more 
deeply  into  the  nature  of  disease. 

In  the  past,  man  has  been  accustomed  to  regard 
disease  as  something  which  seized  him  from  outside, 
whatever  his  inner  condition.  It  has  also  been  be- 
lieved that  medicine  could  of  itself  cure,  even  pre- 
vent, nearly  all  diseases;  despite  the  obvious  fact 
that,  so  far  as  illness  is  due  to  excess,  its  permanent 
cure  is  moderation  and  equanimity.     But  in  these 


34  Equanimity 

days  of  more  sensitively  organised  men  and  women 
medicine  has  repeatedly  failed,  and  man  has  begun 
to  think  and  to  discover  that  disease  is  a  disturbance 
from  within,  and  that  if  the  organism  is  in  good 
condition  he  need  not  fear  disease.  Thus  wisdom 
has  been  brought  more  and  more  into  play,  and  dis- 
placed drugs.  For  more  depends  on  the  way  a  man 
conducts  himself,  upon  his  regulation  of  the  forces 
within  him,  than  upon  any  external  condition  by 
which  he  can  possibly  be  surrounded. 

Thus  when  wisdom  began  to  accomplish  what 
drugs  could  not,  man  became  sufficiently  alive  to 
his  necessities  to  investigate  the  whole  subject  of 
the  influence  of  mind  upon  the  bodily  organism. 
The  question  flashed  over  his  mind.  What  is  the 
greatest  power  in  man,  the  physical,  the  intellectual, 
or  the  spiritual  ?  Why  is  it  that  the  mother's  love 
sometimes  comes  to  the  rescue  and  saves  her  child, 
when  the  doctor  declares  that  the  child  must  die  ? 
Why  do  people  rise  up  and  declare  that  they  ''will 
get  well,  *  *  when  there  is  apparently  no  hope  ?  Why 
do  the  fearless  sometimes  go  where  contagious  dis- 
eases are  rampant,  and  come  away  unharmed  ?  And 
why  are  superstitious  people  healed  by  faith  in 
sacred  relics  ?  ^  Surely,  there  is  a  principle  here ; 
and  that  which  is  wrought  unconsciously  might  be 
accomplished  consciously  by  one  who  understands 
the  laws  of  mind — so  man  has  reasoned. 

*  For  the  detailed  account  of  such  instances,  see  The  Influence  of 
the  Mind  on  the  Body,  by  D.  H.  Tuke,  M.D.  Philadelphia  :  H.  C. 
Lea,  1884. 


t    UNIVERSITY  ) 

Equanimlty=^'^==*^  35 

Following  out  this  line  of  reasoning,  if  we  consult 
the  ablest  physicians  of  the  day,  we  are  told  that 
niany  kinds  of  disease  are  simulated  and  communi- 
cated by  fear,  even  when  there  are  no  physical  con- 
ditions to  give  rise  to  the  disease.  We  are  informed 
that  fear  can  not  only  kill,  but  cure  (in  cases  where 
nothing  short  of  a  fright  will  arouse  a  person) ;  that 
many  cures  are  wrought  by  medicines  which  have 
no  virtue  whatever,  bearing  Latin  names,  and  given 
because  the  patient  demanded  something ;  that  faith 
in  the  physician  oftentimes  has  more  to  do  with  a 
cure  than  any  kind  of  treatment  the  doctor  can  ad- 
minister; in  fine,  that  the  mind  has  far  more  influ- 
ence in  the  cause  and  cure  of  disease  than  any 
physician  has  yet  been  able  to  discover. 

Have  we  not  been  mistaken,  then,  in  attributing 
so  much  power  to  germs,  contagious  atmospheres, 
medicines,  and  physical  conditions  ?  What  is  it  in 
us  which  feels  all  our  conditions,  thinks  about  them, 
brings  its  beliefs  and  fears  into  play,  anxiously 
awaits  the  doctor's  verdict,  is  swayed  this  way  and 
that  according  as  faith  wavers  or  hope  enters  ?  Is 
it  not  the  mind  ?  And  what  thinks,  wills,  and  acts 
through  the  mind,  compelling  it  to  change  its  be- 
liefs, to  cast  off  fear  and  the  bondage  of  physical 
sensation,  declaring  that  it  will  be  well  ?  It  is  tlxe 
soul,  the  invisible  man,  the  real  power  behind  the 
throne — in  the  majority  of  men  still  the  slave  to  its 
own  subjects. 

Surely,  these  physical  features  are  not  the  man. 
It  is  not  the  body  which  feels.     The  soul  expresses 


36  Equanimity 

itself  through  the  body  by  means  of  the  mind,  or 
consciousness.  It  is  the  soul  that  acts,  compelling 
the  body  to  respond.  It  is  the  soul  that  possesses 
the  intelligence.  And  the  soul  can  be  complete 
master  of  its  states  of  consciousness,  and  through 
them  master  of  the  body. 

In  order,  then,  to  understand  the  effect  of  the 
mind  upon  the  body,  we  must  remember  that  the 
soul  has  the  power  to  set  the  physical  forces  in  mo- 
tion, and  either  to  keep  them  in  equilibrium  or  start 
them  into  unwonted  activity.  One  can,  for  example, 
arouse  one's  self  from  reverie,  and  instantly  start  the 
body  in  rapid  motion  toward  the  door  and  out  over 
the  fields  at  full  speed.  It  is  a  mental  decision,  re- 
sulting in  volition  and  heightened  brain  activity, 
which  brings  about  this  sudden  change. 

Again,  suppose  one  hears  the  news  of  a  terrible 
accident  in  which  a  dear  friend  may  have  been 
killed.  The  mind  is  at  once  thrown  into  a  fever  of 
excitement,  followed  by  an  emotional  state  which 
rapidly  extends  throughout  the  body,  increases  the 
beating  of  the  heart,  changes  the  facial  expression, 
quickens  the  circulation,  and  causes  a  strained  con- 
dition of  the  nerves  from  which,  unless  one  knows 
how  to  avoid  it,  there  is  likely  to  be  a  nervous  re- 
action. 

The  instantaneous  effect  of  anger  illustrates  still 
more  forcibly  the  power  of  mind  to  translate  its 
emotions  into  physical  changes.  The  rapid  phys- 
ical response — the  reddened  face,  the  contracted 
muscles,  the  clenched   fists,  and   the   blow  which 


Equanimity  37 

follows,  all  result  from  the  remarkable  little  thought 
which  swiftly  gives  its  assent  to  the  angry  impulse. 
The  whole  organism  must  pay  the  penalty  of  that 
decisive  word. 

Physiology  assures  us  that  with  the  slightest  in- 
crease in  the  intensity  of  our  emotions  there  is  a 
rush  of  blood  to  the  head.  Recent  experiments 
show  that  there  is  a  change  in  the  amount  of  blood 
flowing  to  the  brain  whenever  the  mind  turns  in  a 
more  active  direction.  Simply  to  turn  from  a  book 
in  one's  native  tongue  to  the  more  difficult  reading 
of  an  unfamiliar  passage  in  a  foreign  language — for 
example,  a  passage  in  Homer — is  sufficient  to  cause 
this  heightened  blood-flow.^  If  we  were  able  to 
observe  the  effects,  we  should  probably  discover  a 
response  in  the  entire  organism  in  proportion  as  the 
mental  state  varies  from  a  mere  passing  thought  to 
a  violent  emotion,  such  as  great  anger  or  sudden 
fright. 

But  it  is  well  to  repeat  and  emphasise  what  is  a 
familiar  thought  nowadays, — that  the  emotional  re- 
sponse is  equally  effective  in  the  opposite  direction. 
As  surely  as  hate  contracts  and  depression  draws 
one  into  self,  so  surely  does  love  expand,  while  hope 
lifts  one  above  trouble.  Everyone  knows  the  effect 
of  the  encouragement,  good  cheer,  and  love  which 
the  buoyant  friend  brings  into  a  room  where  depres- 
sion reigns.  A  healthy,  energetic,  optimistic  mind 
strikes  the  keynote  for  an  entire  company.     The 

*  Fear^  Angelo  Mosso,  translated  by  E.  Lough.  Longmans, 
Green  &  Co.,  1896. 


38  Equanimity 

influence  of  an  unsympathetic  or  hostile  mind  is  very 
quickly  perceived,  even  when  there  is  strong  unison 
of  thought  among  all  others  who  are  present.  Thus 
one  might  go  on,  accumulating  fact  after  fact,  to 
show  that  the  mind  not  only  exerts  a  powerful  in- 
fluence on  the  body,  but  on  its  fellow-minds,  not 
merely  in  regard  to  health  and  disease,  but  in  all  de- 
partments of  human  relationship.  And  we  shall  see 
that  the  spiritual  atmosphere  created  by  the  mother 
and  the  teacher  is  one  of  the  most  potent  factors  in 
education. 

The  mind  need  not  be  swayed  by  emotion  and 
passion,  it  need  not  be  the  slave  of  fear  or  of  physi- 
cal sensation,  if  the  soul  comes  to  consciousness  of 
its  power,  and  turns  the  thought  into  another  chan- 
nel. He  who  possesses  sufficient  self-control  may 
stop  these  trouble-bearing  thoughts  before  they 
go  forth  to  action.  He  can  cultivate  those 
states  of  mind  which  invite  health,  happiness, 
and  peace.  He  may  make  hope  a  fine  art,  trust 
a  habit,  and  love  a  boon  companion.  And  so, 
little  by  little,  the  soul  may  not  only  master  the 
mind,  but  with  equal  success  extend  its  dominion 
to  all  parts  of  the  body  and  keep  it  in  perfect  health 
or  equilibrium. 

Much  of  this  may  sound  vague  and  impossible  at 
first.  But  put  it  to  the  test.  Observe  yourself; 
and  when  fears,  violent  emotions,  and  painful  sen- 
sations arise,  pause  for  a  moment,  gather  your 
forces,  quiet  the  mind,  and  compel  the  rising  activ- 
ities to  subside. 


Equanimity  39 

If  an  angry,  excited  man  were  to  rush  up  to  you, 
urging  you  to  join  him  in  a  venturesome  under- 
taking, you  would  say:  **  Let  us  be  calm.  Let  us 
quietly  reason  together. ' '  Proceed  in  the  same  way 
with  yourself.  First  find  the  quiet  centre  within, 
then  calmly  reason.  Do  not  permit  your  mind  to 
dwell  upon  the  painful,  the  unpleasant,  the  selfish 
thought.  Let  the  higher  self  (the  Christ)  command 
the  lower  self:  **  Peace,  be  still!'*  **  I  and  my 
Father  are  one,''  the  higher  self  says.  Think  of 
that.  Live  in  that.  Rise  above  all  that  is  distress- 
ing, in  the  strength  and  confidence  of  the  Spirit,  the 
greatest  power  in  the  world,  the  conqueror  of  the 
flesh,  the  master  of  the  mind. 

By  this  time,  the  reader  is  ready  to  leap  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  are  advocating  a  merely  mental 
theory  of  health  and  healing.  Not  at  all.  We  are 
contending  for  a  recognition  of  both  the  physical 
and  mental  factors,  for  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound 
body,  a  mind  which  draws  upon  its  own  resources 
and  acquires  mastery  over  the  body.  It  is  only  in 
this  broad  sense  that  the  problem  of  health  becomes 
part  of  philosophical  education,  namely,  through 
the  lessons  which  pain  may  teach  as  a  factor  in  self- 
development  and  harmonious  self-expression. 

Take  a  test  case.  Two  persons  take  a  bicycle  ride 
and  become  very  much  heated.  They  sit  down  to 
rest,  and  one  of  them  **  takes  cold  " ;  the  other  ex- 
periences no  inconvenience,  although  he  lies  down 
upon  the  ground.  The  mental  healer,  defining 
disease  as  an  **  error  of  mind,"  declares  that  one 


40  Equanimity 

**  believed  *'  in  taking  cold,  the  other  did  not.  Let 
us  compare  the  lives  of  these  two  people. 

One  has  lived  the  conventional  life,  and  has  re- 
garded disease  as  something  which  everyone  is 
likely  to  **  catch.*'  Consequently,  he  has  had  little 
ventilation  in  his  room  at  night,  has  been  afraid  of 
draughts  of  air,  afraid  of  the  dampness  in  the  air 
and  the  ground,  afraid  to  go  out  in  winter  without 
an  overcoat  or  in  summer  without  a  hat,  and  so  on — 
the  enumeration  would  fill  pages.  When  winter 
underclothing  has  once  been  put  on,  he  has  not 
dared  to  take  it  off  until  late  in  May.  He  has  taken 
medicine  **  to  purify  his  blood.'*  And  he  has 
always  gratified  his  senses. 

The  other  has  lived  a  natural  life,  has  been  much 
in  the  open  air,  and  is  at  home  in  all  kinds  of 
weather.  He  enjoys  an  east  wind.  He  is  relaxed 
and  happy  on  a  hot  day.  His  windows  are  wide 
open  at  night,  in  summer,  fall,  spring,  and  winter. 
He  can  change  from  thick  to  thin  underclothing 
in  midwinter  without  inconvenience.  He  wears  an 
overcoat  or  not  as  he  chooses.  He  eats  pure  food 
when  he  is  hungry,  and  enjoys  it;  has  never  taken 
medicine;  does  not  smoke  or  drink;  he  leads  a  pure 
life. 

Now  IS  it  the  belief  or  the  mode  of  life  which  is 
responsible  for  the  immunity  from  disease  in  the 
one  case  and  the  constant  slavery  to  it  in  the  other  ? 
If  the  conventional  man  becomes  a  convert  to  the 
mental-healing  doctrine  to-day,  will  he  escape  all 
disease  to-morrow  ?     Or  does  his  belief  profit  him 


Equanimity  41 

in  so  far  as,  year  by  year,  he  acquires  the  habits  of 
the  man  who  is  in  harmony  with  nature  ? 

To  be  sure,  a  man  must  change  his  belief  in  order 
to  conquer  disease.  But  what  is  the  decisive  factor, 
day  by  day,  and  year  by  year,  the  beHef  or  the 
mode  of  physical  and  mental  life  ? 

Habitual  disbelief  in  disease  may  have  something 
to  do  with  the  immunity  from  it  on  the  part  of  the 
bicyclist  who  does  not  take  cold.  But  is  it  not  his 
well-ordered  life  which  constitutes  his  real  freedom  ? 

It  seems  strange  that  man  has  so  long  delayed 
the  discovery  that  it  is  his  life,  his  state  of  develop- 
ment, that  causes  disease,  that  disease  is  disturbed 
rhythm.  But  the  case  is  perfectly  plain.  The 
natural  rhythm  of  all  the  functions  is  maintained 
only  when  the  body  is  kept  in  equilibrium.  The 
slightest  variation  from  the  normal  in  any  part  is 
likely  to  affect  the  rhythm  of  the  whole.  The  re- 
sult is  accurately  determined  by  the  disturbing 
cause. 

The  equilibrium  of  the  body  is  maintained  through 
the  equilibrium  of  the  emotions,  through  equanim- 
ity, and  through  the  proper  care  and  development 
of  the  body.  Man  must  control  both  his  mind  and 
his  body  if  he  wishes  to  be  sound.  The  only  way 
to  keep  the  mind  habitually  even  is  by  living  a 
poised  life.  Poise  is  thus  the  keynote  of  all  the 
harmonies  of  the  body.  This  is  the  price  which 
Nature  demands  of  man ;  and  if  he  is  unwilling  to 
pay  it,  he  must  suffer.  If  he  habitually  pays  it,  he 
may  acquire  perfect  health. 


42  Equanimity 

Whenever  the  equilibrium  of  the  body  is  dis- 
turbed, there  is  one  sovereign  remedy;  namely,  to 
seek  poise,  then  let  Nature  restore  harmony.  There 
is  seldom  need  of  doctors,  there  is  no  need  of  medi- 
cine after  man  has  discovered  his  own  resources.  It 
is  foolish  to  fear.  Nature  is  competent.  But  one 
must  meet  her  inexorable  demands. 

If  you  are  nervously  wrought  up,  settle  down, 
quietly,  peacefully,  restfully.  Do  not  wholly  **  let 
go.'*  That  is  an  extreme.  Discover  the  central 
point  between  passivity  and  activity ;  namely,  poised 
co-operation. 

If  there  is  violent  disturbance  of  the  body,  take 
complete  rest,  soothe  the  mind,  quiet  the  nerves, 
banish  all  fear,  and  give  the  disturbance  full  oppor- 
tunity to  subside.  Remember  that  the  disturbance 
originated  in  your  own  body,  and  that  the  resident 
forces  of  the  body  are  able  to  restore  you,  if  you 
maintain  equanimity. 

Here  is  an  illustration  from  actual  experience,  the 
facts  of  which  I  can  vouch  for.  **  A  number  of  years 
ago,*'  my  informant  tells  me,  **  I  suffered  a  very 
acute  pain  for  thirty-six  hours.  The  pain  was  so 
acute  that  I  could  not  hasten  the  process,  and  no  me- 
chanical means  brought  me  any  relief.  My  friends, 
unaware  of  my  inner  resources,  thought  I  was  about 
to  die.  But  I  had  absolutely  no  fear.  I  was  confi- 
dent that  I  could  weather  the  gale.  Accordingly,  I 
maintained  my  poise,  an  even,  steady  attitude  of 
trust  and  peace.  In  due  time  Nature  carried  off 
the  obstruction,  and  I  lost  consciousness  in  sleep.** 


Equanimity  43 

Is  It  possible  to  estimate  the  good  that  could  be 
done  by  extending  to  humanity  this  priceless  power 
of  consciously  maintaining  poise,  this  trust  in  Na- 
ture, and  this  freedom  from  fear  ?  Even  the  surgeon 
might  be  dispensed  with  in  certain  cases.  An  in- 
stance from  my  own  life  is  at  point. 

About  fifteen  years  ago  I  fell  heavily  upon  the 
floor.  I  experienced  no  pain  at  the  time;  but  a 
swelling  appeared  on  the  right  leg,  and  I  was  lame 
for  several  months.  All  attempts  to  remove  the 
obstruction  by  mental  means  were  futile.  On  the 
contrary,  the  pain  increased  until  I  was  compelled 
to  give  up  all  exercise.  In  due  time  an  opening 
appeared  near  the  knee ;  after  a  few  weeks  a  sliver 
of  bone,  about  two  inches  in  length,  was  cast  out, 
and  the  organism  at  once  recovered.  This  was  a 
year  after  the  accident.  It  had  required  all  that 
time  to  perform  Nature's  work.  There  was  nothing 
to  do  but  wait,  and  assuage  the  pain  by  an  attitude 
of  trust  and  poise. 

But  the  chief  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  to  em- 
phasise the  value  of  poise  as  a  preventive.  If 
equanimity  is  a  habit  of  life,  if  the  life  is  pure,  if  no 
medicines,  impure  foods,  or  stimulants  are  put  into 
the  body,  the  physical  organism  is  lifted  to  the 
plane  where  disease  is  impossible.  There  must  be 
a  physical  correspondence  to  the  purity  of  mind. 
Merely  to  think  healthful  thoughts  is  not  sufficient. 
The  body  must  be  controlled  through  and  through. 
The  life  must  be  moderate  in  every  particular, 
moderation  in  eating,  moderation  in  physical  work, 


44  Equanimity 

moderation  in  mental  work,  in  social  life,  in  every 
department  of  daily  activity. 

All  these  departments  need  special  consideration. 
In  one  direction  after  another  one  must  study  the 
natural  impulses  until  the  habit  or  activity  in  ques- 
tion has  been  mastered  and  brought  into  subjec- 
tion to  the  headquarters  of  poise  in  the  centralised 
soul. 

To  rule  means  first  to  understand.  In  order  to 
understand,  one  must  investigate  in  detail.  And 
probably  the  best  method  is  the  analysis  of  some 
excess.  Therefore  trace  your  physical  excesses  back 
to  their  origin  until,  by  overcoming  the  cause,  you 
at  last  conquer  the  effect. 

No  one  rules  his  body  who  lacks  poise.  And 
poise  in  a  general  way  is,  as  I  have  shown,  the  cen- 
tralised result  of  varied  endeavours  to  understand 
and  control.  No  one  rules  the  body  who  eats  too 
much,  who  eats  rapidly,  who  uses  intoxicants,  to- 
bacco, or  drugs,  who  is  the  victim  of  any  kind  of 
sexual  excess,  who  has  disease  or  vice  in  any  form — 
the  list  is  too  long  to  print. 

The  total  problem,  then,  is  this.  It  matters  little 
what  are  your  abstract  affirmations,  what  your  re- 
ligion is,  or  what  you  profess  to  believe  but  do  not 
practise.  The  vital  consideration  is,  What  use  are 
you  making  of  your  forces  ?  Undoubtedly,  each  of 
us  is  the  recipient  of  a  certain  amount  of  force,  a 
stream  of  power  playing  persistently  upon  us.  If 
we  are  perfectly  adjusted,  the  sum-total  of  force 
produces  a  sum-total  of  harmony.     If  any  obstruc- 


Equanimity  45 

tion  enters,  there  is  discord  somewhere.  If  poise  is 
lacking  in  any  degree,  there  is  waste  of  force. 

The  problem  is  simply  the  economy  of  force.  It 
is  like  the  problem  of  the  mechanic,  or  the  electri- 
cian :  how  to  avoid  the  enormous  waste  of  mechanical 
power.  No  man  has  fully  solved  the  problem  in  his 
own  life  in  whom  there  is  waste  of  force.  Man 
must  learn  how,  in  every  particular,  to  spend  his 
power  to  the  best  advantage. 

Affirmations  and  ideals  are  the  merest  steps  in  the 
right  direction :  it  is  work  that  tells.  Stop  yourself 
while  you  work,  and  make  a  study  of  your  particu- 
lar occupation,  that  you  may  attain  poise  in  that 
direction. 

Observe  the  successful  woodsman:  he  pauses  or 
rests  between  each  blow  of  the  axe,  he  chops 
rhythmically;  whereas  the  untrained  man  follows 
one  blow  with  another  in  nervous  succession. 

It  is  more  fatiguing  for  a  tall  man  to  walk  slowly 
with  one  who  takes  short  steps  than  to  walk  thrice 
as  many  miles  at  his  natural  rhythmic  gait.  In  all 
kinds  of  work  there  are  natural  temperamental  limits 
within  which  one  can  do  an  enormous  amount  of 
work  with  a  minimum  expenditure  of  energy.  The 
secret  of  work  with  the  minimum  degree  of  fatigue 
is  poised  rhythmic  action  through  economy  of  nerve 
force. 

This  is  a  vitally  important  point  for  every  student, 
for  every  teacher,  for  every  parent.  Each  must 
learn  in  his  own  way  the  great  secret  of  economic 
work. 


46  Equanimity 

This  IS  the  secret  of  all  life. 

This  is  Nature's  line  of  least  resistance,  the  secret 
of  her  marvellous  power.  For  Nature  works,  not 
by  fits  and  starts,  not  through  excess  or  haste,  but 
through  patient  evolution,  measured  rhythmic  ac- 
tion, and  the  economy  of  force. 

Hence  one  may  generalise,  and  say :  Only  gradual, 
rhythmic  change  is  permanent.  All  revolutions  and 
excesses  are  diseases;  that  is,  discords.  If  I  strain 
myself  to  attain  an  abstract  ideal  by  affirming  that 
I  am  perfect  now,  or  that  I  can  see,  when  in  deepest 
truth  I  am  imperfect,  or  blind,  the  chief  result  is 
nervous  strain;  for  all  departures  from  normal, 
steady,  concrete  work  in  which  energy  is  conserved 
are  excesses  for  which  one  must  pay  the  penalty. 

It  is  utterly  impossible  for  any  healer  or  minister 
to  give  this  one  infallible  remedy  for  all  discord. 
It  is  a  problem  for  each  individual  to  work  out 
patiently  and  persistently  for  himself.  It  is  a  part 
of  our  whole  education.  Start  with  the  fact  that 
you  are  a  self-conscious,  self-acting  soul,  played 
upon  night  and  day,  moment  after  moment,  by  a 
tireless  stream  of  force.  In  so  far  as  you  under- 
stand and  are  adjusted,  harmony  results.  In  so 
far  as  you  lack  poise  or  oppose,  you  suffer.  Not 
all  the  drugs  in  Christendom,  not  all  the  treatments 
that  were  ever  heard  of,  can  accomplish  for  you  that 
which  is  absolutely  and  always  an  affair  of  conscious 
personal  adjustment.  What  you  think  is  of  sec- 
ondary consequence.  For  it  may  or  may  not  as- 
sume dynamic  form.     It  is  your  vital  attitude,  your 


Equanimity  47 

habitual  physical,   sexual,  cerebral  relation  to  the 
forces  that  environ  you,  which  regulates  the  result. 

For  poise  is  not  a  mere  thought.  It  is  not  simply 
an  ideal.  It  is  a  condition,  an  actual  living  relation, 
the  centre  of  control  of  a  complex  organism.  It- 
is  the  kind  of  vibration  you  send  out,  the  vibratory 
response  which  harmonises  with  the  vibratory  ac- 
tivities of  the  body.  It  is  an  attitude  of  power,  a 
control  of  power,  a  habit  both  of  life  and  of  thought ; 
and  if  you  want  to  make  your  thought  dynamic, 
use  power.  Direct  your  soul-power  so  that  it  shall 
impinge  upon  and  control  your  mental  and  physical 
powers. 

Equanimity,  then,  is  a  dynamic  attitude.  It  is 
attained  on  the  highest  plane  by  adjustment  to  the 
concrete  activities  of  Spirit.  He  who  is  at  one  with, 
is  adjusted  to,  the  divine,  creative  life,  has  that 
power  with  which  he  may  reach  down  to  and  con- 
trol every  atom,  every  power,  that  is  in  him.  Poise 
must  be  spiritual  if  it  is  to  be  perfect.  As  such, 
there  is  nothing  that  can  withstand  it.  It  is  worth 
all  the  years  of  development  necessary  to  attain  it. 

Thus  far  we  have  considered  the  development  of 
poise  chiefly  from  the  physical  and  mental  sides,  as 
matter  of  self-control  and  the  economy  of  motion, 
but  it  is  evident  that  the  serene  spiritual  faith  of  the 
Friends  and  others  whose  lives  reveal  equanimity  is 
in  reality  the  prime  cause  of  this  priceless  possession. 
The  soul  must  have  attained  some  measure  of 
spiritual  peace  and  trust,  must  have  found  a  fairly 
satisfactory  theory  of  the  universe.     The  avoidance 


48  Equanimity 

of  the  little  worriments  and  frictions  of  every-day 
life,  the  attainment  of  harmonious  physical  adjust- 
ment is  absolutely  essential  ;  but  philosophical 
serenity  naturally  and  necessarily  leads  to  these. 

Probably  the  surest  foundation  for  philosophical 
serenity  is  such  a  theory  of  the  unity  of  life,  the 
solidarity  of  the  race,  and  the  belief  in  God  which 
we  have  described  as  **  The  New  Point  of  View.*' 
It  is  only  when  man  has  evolved  out  of  the  old 
orthodoxy  and  acquired  the  true  basis  of  trust, 
namely,  knowledge  of  natural  law,  that  he  can  begin 
to  be  serene.  Light  must  dawn  on  the  dark  mys- 
tery of  pain  and  evil  before  the  mind  becomes  suf- 
ficiently reconciled  to  regard  Nature's  strife  with 
calmness.  And  the  inner  light  must  be  carried  to 
all  the  world,  one  must  be  assured  that  every  day 
has  witnessed  its  deed  of  spiritual  service,  or  faith 
and  understanding  will  not  be  sufficient  to  maintain 
this  serenity. 

The  serene  heart  is  not  merely  poised  in  the  con- 
tentment of  self,  it  is  continually  deepened  by 
sympathy  and  love.  Furthermore,  the  demand  for 
success  must  be  satisfied.  Education  must  have 
brought  those  opportunities  for  self-expression  for 
which  the  soul,  if  true  to  the  ideal  of  individuality, 
so  deeply  longs.  The  severely  simple  life  which 
many  Friends  lead  is  far  from  the  rounded-out  life 
of  philosophical  education. 

Equanimity  does  not,  therefore,  mean  inactivity. 
It  is  not  a  mere  floating  down  the  stream  of  un- 
ruffled contentment.     One  may  live  an  undisturbed 


Equanimity  49 

life  in  this  way,  but  one  cannot  grow.  Growth 
means  continual  readjustment.  In  many  directions, 
equanimity  is  the  reward  only  of  weary  months  and 
years  of  persistent  overcoming. 

When  we  become  poised,  we  think  that  if  we 
could  only  remain  so  all  would  be  perfect.  But  it 
is  the  **  ups  and  downs  **  of  our  moral  and  spiritual 
struggles  which  enable  us  to  grow.  Always  to 
choose  a  smoothly  favourable  environment  would 
mean  that  one  would  miss  some  of  life's  noblest 
opportunities. 

While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  some  kinds  of 
intellectual  work  can  only  be  performed  in  a  quiet 
study,  with  no  thought  of  the  demands  of  practical 
and  social  life,  it  is  apparently  wiser  for  the  majority 
to  remain  in  constant  touch  with  their  fellows,  to  be 
subject  to  **  annoying  *'  interruptions  and  the  neces- 
sity of  earning  their  daily  bread.  The  man  whose 
work  is  carried  on  under  such  circumstances,  who 
acquires  serenity  amidst  them,  is  likely  to  be  less 
selfish,  more  human,  more  concrete,  and  his  doctrine 
is  sure  to  be  more  practical.  Art  for  art's  sake  and 
truth  for  truth's  sake  are  praiseworthy  ideals,  but 
only  those  who  have  overcome  self  in  large  measure 
are  strong  enough  to  endure  the  temptations  of  an 
environment  where  all  annoyances  are  headed  off  by 
kind  friends,  and  where  all  the  bills  are  paid. 

The  wealthy  man  or  woman  may  possibly  be 
serene  under  chosen  conditions,  where  the  furnish- 
ings are  luxurious,  each  article  of  food  is  cooked  and 

seasoned   to   suit  the  taste,   and  where  there   are 

4 


50  Equanimity 

multitudes  of  servants  to  anticipate  every  wish,  but 
there  is  little  spirituality  and  no  democracy  in  this 
sort  of  life.  It  is  more  like  absolute  slavery.  The 
free  man  is  one  who  can  adjust  himself  to  any  en- 
vironment, to  any  kind  of  weather,  to  any  climate, 
any  sort  of  bed  or  food.  The  serene  man  is  he  who 
can  calmly  see  any  possible  change  take  place  in  a 
chosen  environment,  who  meets  all  the  accidents  of 
travel  with  composure,  and  avoids  the  wear  and  tear 
of  nervous  friction  by  living  above  all  this  in  a  tran- 
scendental world. 

To  triumph  is  better  than  to  succumb  or  to  com- 
mand a  favourable  environment.  Any  environment 
is  favourable  if  we  know  how  to  meet  it  with  equan- 
imity. It  is  not  that  when  we  attain  equanimity  we 
no  longer  suffer  and  contend,  but  that  we  learn  how 
to  conquer  without  that  burdensome  friction  which 
wears  away  the  majority  of  people  long  before  their 
earth  life  is  complete.  It  is  inner  self-control  and 
serenity  which  creates  the  very  calmness,  the  recep- 
tivity in  which  we  can  clearly  see  how  to  act  and 
how  to  overcome.  When  a  man  thus  triumphs  over 
that  which  at  first  seemed  wholly  unfavourable,  he 
earns  the  right  to  those  days  and  weeks  of  uninter- 
rupted work  in  which  the  closest  thinking  can  alone 
be  done. 

There  is  a  difference,  then,  between  obstacles  as 
signs  that  one  is  nearing  the  "danger  line  of  excess, 
and  obstacles  which,  because  of  the  moral  and 
spiritual  evolution  they  bring,  must  be  met  and 
conquered.     The  difference  between  them  is  clearly 


Equanimity  51 

learned  only  by  personal  experience.  For  each  soul 
must  know  for  itself  when  to  move  victoriously  for- 
ward and  when  to  rest  and  harmonise.  Each  soul 
must  learn  how  to  work  to  the  best  advantage,  when 
it  is  wiser  to  desist  than  to  push  forward.  Then 
the  fatigue  limit  will  be  approached  less  and  less 
frequently,  until  finally  the  physical  organism  shall 
not  only  be  in  entire  subjection,  but  come  quicktyto 
the  support  of  the  more  heroic  activities  of  the  soul. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   SUBCONSCIOUS   MIND 

It  is  a  hidden  force  to  be  dealt  with  and  educated,  for  it  is  often 
found  insubordinate  and  unruly. — Henry  Wood. 

OUR  discussion  has  now  brought  us  to  the  point 
where  we  may  intelligently  consider  the  more 
hidden  activities  of  the  human  mind.  We  have 
considered  man's  relation  to  the  cosmos  of  evolution, 
the  intimate  connection  between  the  growth  of  char- 
acter and  the  ideals  of  education,  and  the  value  of 
self-control,  equanimity,  and  poise.  We  have  found 
that  the  problem  of  health  is  a  part  of  the  problem 
of  education,  and  that  the  entire  reform  in  educa- 
tional methods  is  dependent  upon  due  recognition 
of  the  spiritual  ideal  applied  with  utmost  faithful- 
ness to  the  lives  of  those  who  have  education  in 
charge. 

Already  we  have  caught  glimpses,  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter,  of  that  highly  important  law  which 
regulates  the  deepest  functioning  of  the  mind. 
Equanimity  is  the  power  it  is  because  of  its  habit- 
ual, though  subconscious,  influence  upon  the 
activities  of  the  body.     It  is  not  what  we   think 

52 


The  Subconscious  Mind  53 

superficially  and  in  passing  that  regulates  our  lives, 
but  the  habitual  state  of  our  organisms  as  centres 
either  of  nervous  discord  or  of  harmonious  adjust- 
ment. It  is  the  deep  undercurrent  of  life  which 
sways  us,  and  this  is  the  synthesis  of  all  we  have 
thought  and  done  in  the  past;  it  is  thought  and 
character  made  continuously  dynamic. 

It  is  still  too  early,  perhaps,  to  formulate  a  wholly 
satisfactory  theory  of  the  subconscious  mind.  It  is 
only  recently  that  the  subject  has  received  scientific 
consideration,  and  the  data  of  psychical  research 
promise  to  be  so  rich  that  it  will  be  long  before 
there  are  established  conclusions  accepted  by  great 
numbers  of  scientific  men.  The  literature  of  the 
subject  is  still  in  its  formative  period.  There  are 
many  books  on  suggestion,  hypnotism,  and  psy- 
chology in  which  subconsciousness  is  briefly  treated, 
but  no  work  which  adequately  considers  the  entire 
subject.^ 

Meanwhile,  each  observer  has  a  wonderful  labora- 
tory in  his  own  consciousness,  where  the  deep  ac- 
tivities of  the  mind  may  easily  be  studied  without 
reference  either  to  spiritistic  or  other  occult  phe- 
nomena. For  the  subconscious  mind,  whatever  else 
it  is,  is  first  individual :  it  partakes  of  the  character- 
istics of  the  particular  temperament.  Whatever 
may  affect  it  during  sleep,  niediumship,  hypnosis, 

^  For  a  statement  of  the  various  points  of  view  consult  Janet, 
VAutomatisme  Psychologique ;  Hudson,  The  Law  of  Psychic  Phe- 
nomena (McClurg) ;  Dr.  H.  T.  Schofield,  The  Unconscious  Mind 
(New  York  :  Funk  &  Wagnalls)  ;  and  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society 
for  Psychical  Research  (3  Boylston  Place,  Boston). 


54  The  Subconscious  Mind 

or  thought  transference  is  primarily  conditioned  by 
the  conscious  life.  The  subconscious  mind  should 
therefore  be  studied  as  in  every  way  as  normal  a 
function  as  eating  or  sleeping,  with  not  the  least 
suggestion  of  the  occult  or  the  uncanny. 

The  subconscious  mind,  then,  is  not  a  distinct 
mind ;  it  is  one  phase  of  the  general  mental  process. 
It  embraces  all  that  portion  of  our  mental  life  which 
lies  below  the  plane  of  conscious  feeling,  active 
thought,  and  will  or  volition.  It  is  as  much  a  part 
of  one  mind  as  the  life  of  the  plant  below  ground  is 
a  part  of  the  same  life  which  functions  above  ground, 
the  difference  being  a  difference  in  process.  The 
above-ground  life  of  the  mind  is  attended  by  self- 
consciousness,  that  peculiar  sentiment  which  differ- 
entiates every  conscious  mental  state  as  belonging 
particularly  to  the  ego  or  individual  soul.  When 
the  soul  is  thus  active,  when  the  conscious  mind 
feels,  it  not  only  feels  but  knows  that  it  feels.  It 
is  likewise  self-consciously  aware  of  its  thoughts  and 
volitions.  It  gives  conscious  attention,  for  example, 
to  an  object  moving  before  the  eyes ;  it  thinks  about 
it ;  then  chooses  some  line  of  conduct  in  relation  to 
and  suggested  by  it.  While  the  mind  is  thus  closely 
engaged,  it  cannot,  of  course,  give  an  equal  degree 
of  attention  to  any  other  object.  Our  actively  con- 
scious life  is  limited  to  a  single  object  or  idea. 

But  this  is  not  the  whole  mind.  While  the  self- 
conscious  process  thus  concentrates  upon  one  object, 
it  is  more  or  less  dimly  aware  of  surrounding  lights 
and    shades,    intrusive    noises,    or   sensations   and 


The  Subconscious  Mind  55 

thoughts  arising  from  within.  There  is  thus  a 
gradual  transition  from  the  chosen  object  of  thought 
to  the  dimly  perceived,  the  indistinct,  and  finally  to 
the  subconscious,  or  that  of  which  we  are  not  at  the 
time  aware  at  all.  That  all  these  minor  objects  are, 
however,  noted  more  or  less  vividly  by  the  semi- 
conscious mind,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  when  the 
mind  relaxes  the  intensity  of  its  concentration,  it 
can,  by  an  effort  of  will,  recall  events  which  hap- 
pened while  the  attention  was  absorbed  in  the 
chosen  direction. 

Sometimes  when  reading  aloud  to  a  friend,  one 
will  suddenly  discover  that  one  has  read  half  a  page 
almost  without  knowing  it.  An  attractive  idea  sent 
the  mind  off  on  a  train  of  thinking  of  its  own.  This, 
for  the  time  being,  was  the  object  of  actively  con- 
scious thought,  and  the  mind  forgot  that  it  was 
reading.  After  a  moment  or  two  the  reverie  be- 
comes less  pointed,  and  the  mind  has  an  opportunity 
to  discover  that  the  attention  has  wandered.  But 
that  a  part  of  the  mind  was  still  absorbed  in  the 
reading  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  friend  was  not 
aware  of  the  momentary  shifting  of  conscious  atten- 
tion. It  is  in  this  way  that  all  the  phenomena  which 
occur  below  the  actively  conscious  point  are  dis- 
covered. Strictly  speaking,  we  are  never  aware  oi 
our  subconscious  life;  we  know  the  subconscious 
only  so  far  as  it  becomes  conscious ;  we  know  it  by 
inference,  by  retrospect,  and  by  its  effect  on  the 
mind  and  body. 

In  a  normal  state,  for  example,  all  the  functions 


56  The  Subconscious  Mind 

of  the  body  are  maintained  involuntarily;  that  is, 
subconsciously.  We  are  conscious  of  these  func- 
tions only  when  discord  arises.  The  sensation  of 
pain  acquaints  us  with  the  fact  that  we  have  over- 
stepped the  mark,  that  we  have  lost  our  equanimity, 
or  that  something  has  disturbed  the  rhythmic  action 
or  equilibrium  of  the  body.  In  the  same  way,  the 
effects  of  mental  changes  upon  the  body  are  pro- 
duced subconsciously ;  we  are  unaware  of  them  in  so 
far  as  they  are  moderate  and  normal.  If  my  heart 
beats  violently,  or  if  I  feel  a  sensation  of  fatigue,  I 
do  not  consciously  act  upon  the  heart,  the  nerves, 
or  the  muscles.  I  become  mentally  calm  and  rest- 
ful. The  body  immediately  begins  to  respond 
through  the  hidden  activities  of  the  subconscious 
mind. 

This  apparently  trivial  statement  is  important  be- 
cause it  shows  how  a  serene  thought  or  health-bear- 
ing suggestion  may  be  felt  even  to  the  extremities 
of  the  body,  although  there  be  no  conscious  effort 
to  apply  it.  The  subconscious  mind  attends  to  all 
this.  Only  give  it  the  right  turn,  only  impress  upon 
it  the  kind  of  thought  which  you  wish  embodied, 
and  you  will  find  subconsciousness  ready  to  carry  it 
out  in  proportion  to  the  confidence  and  emphasis 
with  which  the  command  is  given.  Just  as  the  de- 
cision to  awake  at  a  given  hour  in  the  morning  is 
followed  by  a  restful  night  and  a  prompt  awakening 
at  the  proper  time,  or  a  disturbed,  wakeful  night, 
according  as  the  command  is  given  quietly  or 
anxiously,  so  every  suggestion  bestowed  upon  this 


The  Subconscious  Mind  57 

wonderfully  responsive  agent  is  accompanied  by  the 
kind  of  mental  state  with  which  the  thought  is  sent 
out. 

It  is  our  subconsciousness,  then,  which  realises 
the  ideals,  volitions,  and  decisions  of  conscious 
thought.  If  a  given  suggestion,  such  as  the  child's 
desire  to  imitate  its  parents  and  learn  to  walk,  is  fol- 
lowed by  repeated  suggestions  of  a  similar  character, 
the  ideal  becomes  a  habit.  All  our  habits  are  there- 
fore subconscious  activities.  If  you  wish  to  change 
your  habits  you  must  first  train  your  subconscious 
mind.  If  you  would  know  how  you  have  thought 
yourself  into  servitude  or  disease,  how  you  have 
built  character  and  acquired  a  method  of  conduct, 
you  must  trace  the  natural  history  of  your  moods 
and  the  resultant  influences  upon  habit  a:nd  the 
physical  functions  or  bodily  activities.  There  are 
possibilities  here  of  growth,  of  reform  and  education, 
so  great  that  the  mind  is  awed  by  contemplation  of 
them  as  one  realises  the  scope  of  subconscious  men- 
tal action. 

Again,  it  is  clear  that  the  subconscious  mind  is  at 
least  as  exhaustive  in  scope  as  memory.  The  term 
**  memory  **  conceals  many  mysteries,  but  these  are 
at  any  rate  no  greater  when  grouped  under  another 
term.  Just  as  a  continuous  succession  of  pictures  is 
impressed  on  the  camera,  which  seizes  all  the  details 
of  a  living  scene  for  reproduction  in  that  wonderful 
panorama,  the  biograph,  so  the  tireless  receptive 
plate  of  subconsciousness  registers  the  pictures,  sen- 
sations,  and  thoughts  of  the  mind,  storing  them 


58  The  Subconscious  Mind 

away  where  they  may  be  quickly  recalled  even  after 
the  lapse  of  many  years.  Thus  the  subconscious 
mind  is  a  storehouse  constantly  being  enlarged.  Of 
course  the  effectiveness  with  which  it  responds  to 
suggestion  depends  upon  the  type  of  mind.  A 
stupid  consciousness  is  supported  by  a  dull  subcon- 
sciousness. The  deeper  self  of  the  educated  man  is 
overflowing  with  possibilities  of  subconscious  action. 
The  power  of  subconsciousness  therefore  depends 
on  the  degree  and  kind  of  education. 

Let  us  trace  the  conscious  activity  from  its  apex, 
where  the  attention  is  concentrated,  down  through 
what  some  writers  have  called  **  the  pyramid  of 
thought,''  which  insensibly  blends  with  the  subcon- 
scious. Let  the  actively  conscious  thought  in  this 
case  be  the  analysis  of  the  term  *  *  subconsciousness. 
Let  the  earth  on  which  the  pyramid  rests  represent 
the  great  realm  of  the  subconscious.  Below  the 
apex  of  thought  there  are  minor  associated  thoughts, 
which  rise  for  a  moment  from  subconsciousness,  are 
looked  at  in  relation  to  the  point  in  question,  then 
dismissed.  Lower  still,  allied  thoughts  rise  which 
are  immediately  dismissed  because  they  are  not  ger- 
mane to  the  subject. 

Still  lower,  there  is  a  steady  play  of  consciousness 
arising  from  the  objects  around.  For  example,  the 
movement  of  my  pen  on  the  paper,  the  books  and 
magazines  on  the  desk,  the  hard  surface  of  the 
desk  on  which  my  body  is  leaning,  the  delicious 
sunny  air  of  a  beautiful  summer  morning,  the  sing- 
ing of  the  birds,  etc. — all  these  tend  to  become 


The  Subconscious  Mind  59 

apexes  of  thought,  but  they  are  not  permitted  to 
become  such,  because  I  choose  to  have  them  serve 
now  only  as  the  mere  filling  of  the  pyramid.  In 
other  words,  I  concentrate,  and  the  reason  why  my 
mind  is  a  pyramid  is  just  because  of  this  rejection 
of  all  thoughts  except  so  far  as  they  reveal  a  relation- 
ship to  the  one  idea  under  consideration,  namely, 
subconsciousness. 

Every  moment,  as  I  think,  there  is  a  continual 
upflow  from  the  great  world  on  which  the  pyramid 
rests.  Every  experience  of  my  life  is  registered 
there,  every  word  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  every 
thought  that  ever  passed  through  my  mind.  At 
least,  this  is  the  hypothesis.  That  it  is  a  true  state- 
ment is  clear  from  the  fact  that  if  I  send  down  my 
messenger,  or  desire,  it  will  bring  up  any  memory  I 
wish,  although  sometimes  when  I  forget  the  shelf 
number  the  hunt  is  a  long  one,  and  even  the  libra- 
rian is  occasionally  puzzled. 

For  example,  while  I  write  these  lines  my  mes- 
senger is  hunting  for  records  of  experiences  which 
throw  light  on  our  subject.  I  am  not  conscious  of 
his  searchings.  For  my  vividly  conscious  thought 
has  all  it  can  attend  to  in  the  study  and  arrangement 
of  the  data  which  steadily  rise  into  the  pyramid,  and 
the  act  of  writing  requires  no  small  amount  of  con- 
scious power. 

But  as  I  approach  the  end  of  a  paragraph  and 
pause  for  a  moment  to  take  a  new  observation, — for 
the  contents  of  the  pyramid  are  like  the  pictures  in 
a  biograph,  the  combination  changes  every  instant, 


6o  The  Subconscious  Mind 

— I  notice  a  messenger  ascending  with  an  attractive 
volume  which  promises  to  be  of  value.  It  is  dusty, 
and  has  occupied  a  shelf  for  over  eighteen  years, 
with  but  few  calls  for  its  circulation.  I  open  it  and 
read  that  once  when  I  was  a  telegraph  operator  in 
California  I  was  called  into  my  ofifice  at  night,  because 
of  an  accident  at  an  adjoining  station.  A  flood  of 
memories  rush  into  mind  as  I  read,  and  it  is  with 
difficulty  that  I  restrain  them.  Among  them  I 
choose  first  the  fact  that,  as  Jack-at-all-trades  in  the 
railroad  station,  it  was  my  duty  to  listen  to  the 
telegraph  instrument  whatever  else  I  was  doing — 
selling  tickets,  adding  figures,  or  conversing:  this 
must  always  be  next  below  the  apex  of  thought, 
ready  to  become  the  apex  if  I  heard  the  magic  let- 
ters **  Po,''— my  call. 

Now  on  this  particular  night  I  fell  asleep  in  my 
chair,  not  a  fatal  lapse  of  duty,  as  I  was  not  in  a 
signal-tower,  and  as  I  was  at  my  post  only  because 
a  locomotive  was  side-tracked  at  my  station  until 
orders  should  come  for  its  departure.  But  at  any 
rate  I  fell  asleep.  Suddenly  I  awakened — the  magic 
call,  "  Po.*'  The  instruments  had  been  busy  all 
the  time,  no  doubt,  for  it  was  an  exciting  time,  and 
at  most  stations  night  operators  were  on  duty.  But 
I  had  heard  nothing.  Yet  something  heard  while  I 
slept — that  is,  while  the  entire  pyramid  was  below 
the  surface.  For  the  familiar  sound  brought  up,  by 
association,  the  whole  pyramid.  It  was  brought  up 
because  I  had  trained  my  mind  to  respond  to  that 
call  under  any  and  all  circumstances.     Its  effect  was 


The  Subconscious  Mind  6i 

as  involuntary  as  the  result  produced  on  a  peasant 
working  in  the  fields  in  France  when  a  company  of 
soldiers  passed  near  by  and  the  commander  shouted 
an  order ;  the  peasant,  who  had  been  a  soldier,  im- 
mediately stopped  his  work  and  with  his  hoe  as- 
sumed the  position  commanded. 

I  have  no  sooner  returned  this  volume  to  the 
messenger,  who  immediately  returns  it  to  its  sub- 
conscious shelf,  than  another  is  brought  to  me,  and 
I  recall  that  one  morning,  three  years  ago,  when  I 
boarded  the  train  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  for  Boston, 
there  suddenly  came  to  consciousness  this  thought, 
**  There  will  be  an  accident,  but  you  will  be  all 
right."  Accordingly,  I  confidently  started  on  my 
journey.  All  went  well  until  the  train  reached  Wel- 
lesley,  fifteen  miles  from  Boston.  Suddenly  the 
train  stopped  with  sufficient  force  to  throw  some  of 
the  passengers  from  their  seats.  Enquiry  revealed 
the  fact  that  the  engine  had  broken  down.  The 
prophecy  delivered  from  the  subconscious  world  was 
verified ;  an  accident  had  happened,  but  I  was  un- 
hurt. Those  who  discipline  their  subconscious 
minds  will  frequently  have  experiences  of  a  similar 
nature. 

But  the  subconscious  mind  does  not  merely  regis- 
ter, retain,  and  forewarn;  it  possesses  an  assimila- 
tive function.  Listen  to  a  lecture,  or  read  a  book, 
then  turn  to  some  other  occupation  or  subject, 
equally  absorbing,  and  you  will  find  that  not  even 
the  presence  of  this  new  interest  or  activity  has  in- 
terfered with  your  subconscious  thought  on  the  first 


62  The  Subconscious  Mind 

theme.  Possibly  the  book  or  lecture  has  come  into 
your  consciousness  once  or  twice  meanwhile,  and 
you  have  been  aware  of  brooding  over  it.  But  you 
have  been  scarcely  conscious  of  it  until  some  day, 
weeks  afterwards,  some  one  asks  a  question  concern- 
ing it,  or  you  hear  an  opposing  view.  Lo  and  be- 
hold! the  theme  reappears,  elaborated  by  all  the 
corresponding  harmonies  which  your  life  has  known, 
and  you  are  surprised  to  find  how  it  has  grown  upon 
you.  Evidently,  the  data  concerning  a  particular 
subject  gravitate  by  a  hidden  law  of  association  to 
allied  data,  then  assume  new  relations  according  as 
they  qualify  or  supplement  that  which  is  already 
known.  It  is  astonishing  sometimes  to  learn  the 
resources  of  one's  own  mind  after  one  of  these 
periods  of  synthetic  assimilation. 

Yet  even  this  synthetic  power  is  surpassed  in 
value  and  wonder  by  the  greater  receptivity  of  sub- 
consciousness. Probably  this  hidden  capacity  varies 
greatly  in  different  minds.  For,  as  we  have  noted, 
the  subconscious  mind  is  closely  conditioned  by 
temperament,  and  a  spiritually  sensitive  soul  stamps 
its  habits  upon  this  deeper  process  of  the  mind, 
while  a  more  intellectual  nature  is  characterised  by 
a  more  strictly  rational  subconsciousness. 

There  are  plenty  of  instances  on  record  of  the 
solution  of  difficult  mathematical  and  scientific  prob- 
lems during  sleep. ^  Whatever  problem  absorbs  the 
conscious  mind  is  likely  to  generate  a  corresponding 
activity   in   subconsciousness.      But   I   refer  more 

^  See  Carpenter's  Mental  Physiology^ 


The  Subconscious  Mind  63 

especially  to  earnest  prayers  or  desires  for  light  on 
dark  points  where  there  is  almost  nothing  to  draw 
upon  in  the  storehouse  of  memory.  Experience 
again  and  again  shows  that  these  prayers  sent  out 
into  the  great  universal  world  attract  answers  which 
come  to  consciousness  later,  sometimes  at  the  close 
of  a  night's  sleep,  sometimes  intruding  their  revela- 
tions into  the  busiest  moods  of  the  day. 

This  sudden  welling  into  consciousness  of  subcon- 
scious streams  of  thought  is  one  of  the  surest,  proofs 
that  a  part  of  the  mind  never  rests.  Oftentimes 
when  one  is  away  on  a  vacation,  or  off  for  a  day's 
rest,  with  the  avowed  intention  of  avoiding  all  philo- 
sophical thought,  and  again  in  the  crowded  street 
where  the  mind  is  so  absorbed  that  there  is  appa- 
rently no  channel  left  open,  these  subconscious  de- 
liverances surprise  the  mind  with  their  evidences  of 
jprogressive  thinking.  Now  a  new  idea  appears 
which  leads  the  way  to  a  long  train  of  valuable  re- 
flection, and  now  a  thought  which  is  essential  to  an 
essay  just  completed  and  put  away  **  to  season.'* 
Again,  a  certain  sentence  from  the  essay  so  persist- 
ently rises  that  at  last  one  perceives  that  it  must  be 
reconstructed  or  omitted.  Other  thoughts  occur  to 
mind  because  they  could  find  no  entrance  until  the 
conscious  mind  became  more  quiet. 

I  once  tested  this  subconscious  power  of  reminding 
the  conscious  self  when  there  is  sufficient  receptiv- 
ity, by  suggestively  concentrating  my  thought  upon 
a  certain  idea  which  I  wanted  a  friend  to  add  to  the 
extempore  lecture  which  he  was  delivering  and  to 


64  The  Subconscious  Mind 

which  I  was  listening.  My  friend  paid  no  heed  to 
the  silent  suggestion  until  there  came  a  pause  in  the 
rapid  flow  of  his  thought,  and  immediately  he  gave 
utterance  to  the  idea  which  his  subconsciousness 
had  received  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  before. 

Again,  a  sensitively  organised  speaker  enters  into 
subconscious  affinity  with  his  auditors,  notably  in  a 
small  and  very  sympathetic  audience,  and  adapts 
his  discourse  to  the  needs  of  his  hearers,  answering 
their  questions  and  voicing  their  longings  so  effect- 
ively as  to  call  out  the  surprised  comment  of  those 
who  afterwards  come  forward  to  compare  notes  with 
the  speaker.  In  fact  the  tendency  to  '*  speak  for 
the  audience  *'  is  sometimes  so  strong  that  a  speaker 
must  be  on  his  guard  to  keep  it  within  bounds.  In 
a  highly  cultivated  audience  this  subconscious  influ- 
ence is  helpful,  but  in  a  mediocre  gathering  there  is 
a  tendency  to  lower  the  standard. 

Sensitive  minds  respond  to  the  same  subconscious 
connection  with  another  mind  when  sitting  down  to 
write  a  letter  to  the  person  in  question.  Here,  also, 
the  effect  is  helpful  or  hampering  according  to  the 
type  of  mind  addressed.  That  these  effects  are  not 
wholly  due  to  one's  own  subconsciousness  is  proved 
by  instances  like  the  following. 

I  once  sat  down  to  write  to  a  man  whom  I  did  not 
know  and  whom  I  had  never  seen.  To  my  surprise 
I  found  myself  inclined  to  conceal  my  real  thought, 
even  to  deceive,  and  the  influence  was  so  strong  that 
I  could  hardly  overcome  it.  Later,  I  learned  that 
the    man    was   one    who    concealed    an    insincere 


The  Subconscious  Mind  65 

disposition  under  a  polite  exterior,  and  I  felt  noth- 
ing genuine  in  the  answer  which  came  to  my  letter. 

The  most  important  phase  of  subconscious  recep- 
tivity is,  however,  that  power  by  which  we  are 
spiritually  guided.  The  reason  for  this  greater  sub- 
conscious receptivity  is  easily  found.  In  the  deeper 
world  there  is  no  hampering  self-consciousness,  no 
anxious  forcing  of  the  brain  to  think.  The  deeper 
self  is  evidently  in  immediate  living  contact  with  the 
immanent  Spirit,  and  what  it  receives  from  that  is 
limited  only  by  the  power  of  the  desire  or  prayer 
which  sets  it  into  activity.  The  Spirit  is  wisdom,  it 
knows  what  is  true  and  what  is  right,  and  guidance 
is  made  known  to  the  conscious  self  which  far  sur- 
passes in  foresight  the  keenest  intuitions  of  merely 
self-conscious  thought.  Is  it  not  probable  that 
every  soul  is  guided  in  this  way  far  more  than  any 
of  us  suspects  ? 

Yet  that  which  comes  spontaneously  may  be  con- 
sciously sought,  for  the  subconscious  mind  is  in  all 
respects  a  willing  servant,  as  readily  amenable  to 
prayer  as  to  suggestion.  Therefore  we  should  trust 
it  more  and  more,  committing  our  problems  to  it, 
ever  waiting  in  patience  for  its  marvellous  deliver- 
ances. This  is  another  way  of  following  the  lines  of 
least  resistance  which  we  have  considered  in  the  fore- 
going chapter.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  secrets  of 4ife 
to  learn  the  workings  of  this  silent  partner,  and  so  to 
adapt  conscious  conduct  that  it  shall  most  benefi- 
cially co-operate  with  these  deeper  mental  activities. 

One  learns,  that  if  philosophy,  for  example,  is  the 


66  The  Subconscious  Mind 

greatest  interest  in  life,  the  subconscious  mind  is 
constantly  brooding  over  the  great  problems  of 
human  existence.  New  data  must  continually  be 
supplied,  but  these  serve  only  as  the  merest  hints 
which  start  long  meditations,  until,  at  a  favourable 
hour,  the  conscious  self  is  gladdened  by  results 
wholly  unexpected  and  oftentimes  very  novel. 

Again  and  again  I  have  tested  the  ability  of  the 
subconscious  mind  to  solve  philosophical  difficulties, 
so  that  I  am  indulging  in  no  mere  hypothesis  when 
I  say  that,  the  mind  once  trained  to  seek  light  on 
such  problems,  one  may  confidently  rely  on  subcon- 
sciousness to  solve  them.  The  essential  is  patient 
trust,  willingness  to  wait  until  this  deeper  self  has 
not  only  looked  up  all  the  references  in  the  library 
of  memory,  but  has  had  opportunity  to  assimilate 
the  data  thus  collected  and  intermingle  with  them 
the  new  ideas  which  are  the  natural  product  of  this 
wonderful  process  of  subconscious  induction.  If 
you  send  your  messenger  for  these  data  before  they 
have  been  assimilated  you  will  find  the  result  very 
imperfect.  It  is  not  for  you  to  dictate.  You  must 
await  the  spontaneous  rising  of  the  completed  solu- 
tion into  the  pyramid  of  thought.  The  subconscious 
mind  knows  the  fitting  time ;  it  will  not  bear  dicta- 
tion. You  must  adjust  yourself  to  its  rhythm, 
otherwise  you  shall  not  know  its  most  wonderful 
powers.  When  you  at  last  acquire  this  adjustment, 
you  will  be  surprised  at  the  productiveness  of  your 
own  mind,  equally  surprised  at  the  ease  with  which 
your  thinking  is  done. 


The  Subconscious  Mind  67 

And  now  another  messenger  from  the  subcon- 
scious IS  waiting  with  a  book.  It  is  entitled  The 
Law  of  Psychic  Phenomena^  by  Hudson.  It  is  not 
so  old  as  the  above  described  volumes,  and  it  has 
been  out  of  the  library  only  once  or  twice.  With  it 
come  volumes  which  somehow  have  grown  since  I 
placed  them  there.  About  Hudson's  theory  there 
cluster  all  the  arguments  against  it  which  have 
gathered  since  his  artificial  hypothesis  appeared. 
Through  no  conscious  effort  of  mine,  the  subcon- 
scious librarian  has  catalogued  and  arranged  them 
all,  where  at  the  mere  mention  of  the  name,  Hud- 
son, they  rise  en  masse  into  the  pyramid. 

In  the  first  place,  Hudson's  theory  that  this 
deeper  mind  is  incapable  of  inductive  reasoning  does 
not  coincide  with  the  facts,  either  in  the  case  of 
those  acute  observers  with  whom  I  have  compared 
notes  or  with  the  facts  of  my  own  consciousness 
which,  as  I  have  said,  constantly  reveals  the  induc- 
tions of  subconsciousness.  Let  us  inquire  into  this 
subject  for  a  moment. 

What  is  induction  ?  Webster  defines  it  as  ** reason- 
ing from  a  part  to  a  whole,  or  from  particulars  to 
generals.*'  Mill  tells  us  that  it  is  **  inference  from 
the  known  to  the  unknown."  Jevons  more  fully 
defines  it '  as  the  detection  of  **  general  laws  or  uni- 
formities, the  relations  of  cause  and  effect."  He 
believes,  with  most  philosophers,  that  the  greater 
part  of  our  knowledge  is  thus  derived. 

Naw  this  is  precisely  the  process  of  which,  so  far 

^  Lessons  in  Logic, 


68  The  Subconscious  Mind 

as  one  may  judge  from  personal  experience,  the 
subconscious  mind  is  capable.  The  conscious  mind 
furnishes  the  data,  the  disconnected  observations, 
and  random  thoughts.  This  process  sometimes  con- 
tinues for  weeks  or  months,  even  years,  before  any 
result  appears.  Then  the  central  principle  is  re- 
vealed, the  general  law  which  was  all  the  time 
latent  in  these  fragmentary  data,  the  bearing  of 
which  the  conscious  mind  did  not  detect.  But 
when  all  the  facts  were  supplied,  when  that  particu- 
lar mood  ended,  the  subconscious  mind  took  the 
subject  under  advisement.  The  only  conscious  con- 
comitant observable  was  a  sort  of  abstractedness, 
that  feeling  of  mental  fulness  which  the  close 
observer  of  the  subconscious  process  learns  after  a 
time  to  associate  with  the  last  stages  of  induction, 
the  preparation  to  bring  forth  a  general  synthetic 
result. 

The  subconscious  mind  evidently  does  not  assume 
the  pyramid  form.  It  is  capable  of  carrying  on 
multiform  processes  at  once,  and  a  given  process  or 
train  of  connected  ideas  is  spread  out  in  a  manner 
impossible  to  the  conscious  mind  because  of  the 
limitations  of  the  latter  process.  In  this  spread-out 
form  in  which  great  stretches  of  data  are  seen,  as  it 
were,  from  a  mountain  top,  it  is  possible  for  the 
light  of  induction  to  illumine  the  whole  vast  array. 
It  is  this  inductive  illumination  which  forthwith 
flashes  into  consciousness  and  reveals  the  law  exem- 
plified but  unperceived  in  all  the  preceding  months 
of  study  and  meditation. 


The  Subconscious  Mind  69 

The  subconscious  mind  is  not,  then,  a  separate 
mind,  as  Hudson  contends.  There  is  no  sharp 
division  between  objective  and  subjective.  Such 
divisions  are  always  artificial,  hypothetical,  not 
natural.  In  nature,  process  insensibly  blends  with 
process,  as  colour  blends  with  colour  in  the  spec- 
trum. Thus  do  the  planes  of  consciousness  blend. 
Physical  sensation  shades  into  perception  by  a  pro- 
cess so  subtle  that  no  psychological  examination  can 
detect  the  transition.  Perception  leads  to  thought, 
and  thought  tends  to  become  volition.  There  is  no 
such  mental  experience  as  mere  sensation,  mere  in- 
tellection, or  mere  will.  These  and  all  other  terms 
employed  by  psychology  to  describe  mental  states 
simply  denote  certain  conditions  in  which  a  par- 
ticular phase  of  consciousness  is  more  prominent 
than  those  states  with  which  it  is  associated. 

In  the  same  way  our  intellectual  processes  blend 
with  our  moral  and  spiritual  consciousness.  The 
fact  of  telepathy  does  not  mean  the  presence  in  us 
of  another  mind,  but  only  another  phase  of  con- 
sciousness. All  these  phases  may  become  subcon- 
scious. Subconsciousness  is  one  phase  only  of  our 
total  consciousness.  All  phases  of  consciousness, 
physical,  intellectual,  moral,  psychic,  and  spiritual, 
self-consciousness,  the  so-called  superconscious,  aad 
the  subconscious  mind,  belong  to  one  soul,  whose 
many-sidedness  enables  it  to  function  on  all  these 
varying,  yet  interrelated  and  blending  planes. 

Some  might  allege  that  there  are  two  minds  be- 
cause  we    have    **  two    selves  '*    in   us.     But    the 


70  The  Subconscious  Mind 

contrast  and  struggle  between  lower  and  higher  is,  as 
we  shall  see  more  fully  in  another  chapter,  the 
foundation  of  our  moral  existence ;  this  contrast  is 
essential  to  the  development  of  one  soul,  one  moral 
ego.  The  soul  flourishes  amidst  the  interactions 
and  conflicts  of  its  own  hostile  moods.  The  co- 
presence  of  many  moods  or  selves  is  consistent  with 
the  existence  of  one  soul.  Duality  of  mind — that 
is,  duality  of  aspects,  does  not  necessarily  mean  the 
separate  existence  of  these  aspects.^ 

All  moods  and  selves  are  turned  to  account  when 
the  soul  comes  to  judgment.  The  grand  ideal  is  the 
supremacy  of  the  soul  over  all  these  moods,  the 
triumph  of  the  Spirit  over  every  phase  of  conscious- 
ness. 

The  most  important  fact  concerning  the  subcon- 
scious mind,  therefore,  is  the  possibility  of  its  sub- 
serviency as  an  agent  of  the  soul.  The  soul  must 
first  possess  itself,  the  conscious  mind  must  be 
trained,  and  spiritual  receptivity  must  at  least  be 
an  ideal,  before  a  high  degree  of  subconscious  power 
may  be  acquired.  But  in  all  these  attainments  it  is 
the  subconscious  mind  which  lays  the  foundations 
of  its  own  future  power.  The  very  desire  to  de- 
velop subconscious  power  is  itself  a  suggestion.  The 
training  of  the  deeper  self  goes  on  simultaneously 
and  co-extensively  with  the  growth  of  the  conscious 
self.  If  you  would  reap  only  permanently  benefi- 
cial results,  you  must  therefore  set  the  pace  which 

^  For  further  arguments  against  the  dual  theory,  see  ' '  Hudson's 
Duality  of  Mind  Disproved,"  by  T.  E.  Allen,  the  Arena,  July,  1895. 


The  Subconscious  Mind  71 

harmonises  with  gradual  evolution  and  the  rhythmic 
functioning  of  the  body.  The  prime  essential  is 
the  discovery  that  one  has  a  subconscious  mind,  or 
rather  that  the  soul  functions  subconsciously,  never 
wholly  ceases  to  be  active.  The  discovery  once 
made,  it  rests  with  the  observer  to  choose  what 
types  of  consciousness  shall  be  most  persistently 
cultivated. 

Some  occultists  make  it  a  point  to  recall  their 
dreams  from  subconsciousness.  Some  claim  that 
the  soul  travels  during  sleep.  But  these  experi- 
ences, if  possible,  may  be  overcome  by  those  who 
desire  to  become  wholly  normal  and  reposeful.  In 
my  own  case,  dreams  have  failed  to  teach  me  any- 
thing except  in  two  instances,  and  in  neither  of  these 
was  there  any  evidence  that  the  soul  travelled.  My 
own  experience  also  shows  that  as  equanimity  grows, 
dreams  come  less  and  less  frequently,  until  finally 
they  cease,  except  in  cases  of  extreme  fatigue. 

Of  sleep,  F.  W.  H.  Myers  says  ^ :  *'  I  regard  sleep 
as  an  alternating  phase  of  our  personality,  distin- 
guished from  the  waking  phase  by  the  shutting  off 
of  the  supraliminal  [conscious]  attention  upon  the 
profounder  organic  life.  To  sleep's  concentrated 
inward  attention  I  ascribe  its  unique  recuperative 
power.  ...  In  waking  consciousness  I  am  like 
the  proprietor  of  a  factory  whose  machinery  I  do 
not  understand.     My  foreman — my  subliminal '  self 

*  Proceedings  of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Research,  part  xxxiv., 
p.  107. 

2  Myers  uses  this  term  instead  of  "  subconsciousness," 


72  The  Subconscious  Mind 

— weaves  for  me  so  many  yards  of  broadcloth  per 
diem  (my  ordinary  vital  processes).  If  I  want  any 
pattern  more  complex,  I  have  to  shout  my  orders 
in  the  din  of  the  factory,  where  only  two  or  three 
inferior  workmen  hear  me,  and  shift  their  looms  in 
a  small  and  scattered  way.  .  .  .  At  certain  in- 
tervals, indeed,  the  foreman  stops  most  of  the  looms, 
and  uses  the  freed  power  to  stoke  the  engine  and  to 
oil  the  machinery.  This,  in  my  metaphor,  is  sleep.  *  * 
It  is  during  these  quiet  hours  of  rest  that  the  soul 
receives  many  of  its  choicest  messages.  Therefore 
the  wise  man  cultivates  that  kind  of  sleep  which  is 
most  in  harmony  with  meditative  listening.  In  this 
way  the  power  of  equanimity  grows  until,  more  and 
more,  the  subconscious  life  becomes  part  of  the  life 
of  the  Spirit.  Into  its  precincts  there  come  with 
growing  frequency  the  peace,  love,  and  guidance 
of  the  omnipresent  Father.  Thus  ever  more  and 
more  the  spontaneous  revelations  of  this  most  won- 
derful of  all  human  functions  become  bearers  of 
divine  wisdom  and  messengers  of  divine  power. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   SPIRITUAL   IDEAL   IN   CHILDHOOD 

Education  does  not  commence  with  the  alphabet :  it  begins  with 
a  mother's  look,  with  a  father's  nod  of  approbation  or  sign  of  re- 
proof, with  a  sister's  gentle  pressure  of  the  hand  or  a  brother's  noble 
act  of  forbearance. — Albert  Morton. 

ONE  of  the  most  strongly  marked  tendencies  of 
our  time  is  the  change  of  attitude  toward  the 
child.  Formerly  the  child^s  sphere  was  decidedly 
restricted,  guarded  at  every  turn  by  the  dogmas  and 
customs  of  a  generation  whose  power  is  now  rapidly 
waning.  At  present  the  child  enjoys  much  greater 
liberty  of  speech  and  action  in  the  home,  while  in 
school  and  college  his  individuality  is  constantly 
gaining  in  recognition.  Those  institutions  in  which 
the  elective  system  prevails  are  in  the  front  rank, 
and  there  is  a  tendency  in  all  departments  of  school 
and  college  to  extend  the  ideals  and  methods  of  the 
new  education.  From  the  kindergarten  to  the  high- 
grade  university  the  ideal  will  soon  be  the  free  ex- 
pression of  the  individual  soul.  Opportunities  of 
every  sort  are  opening  before  the  young  mind:  it  is 
for  the  child  to  come  to  consciousness  of  these  op- 
portunities and  to  select  those  most  in  keeping  with 
his  needs. 

73 


74    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

It  is  this  belief  that  each  soul  is  consciously,  or 
subconsciously,  in  possession  of  an  ideal  which  more 
than  anything  else  characterises  this  change  of  atti- 
tude. Consequently,  the  methods  employed  are 
becoming  idealistic.  Instead  of  calling  a  child 
**  naughty,"  or  in  any  way  looking  upon  him  as  the 
old  pessimistic  theology  regarded  him ;  instead  of 
labelling  a  boy  **  thief  *'  by  pinning  a  placard  on  his 
coat  because  he  had  taken  a  ruler  that  belonged  to 
another  boy  (an  actual  occurrence  in  a  prominent 
public  school  ten  years  ago),  the  child  is  coming  to 
be  regarded  from  the  point  of  view  of  evolution ; 
and  so  the  good,  and  not  the  bad,  is  named  and 
encouraged. 

It  may  be  that  the  reaction  has  gone  too  far  in 
some  instances.  The  child  may  have  too  much 
license  in  certain  directions.  But,  at  any  rate,  he 
is  attaining  his  freedom,  he  is  being  treated  more 
like  a  human  being,  a  fresh  creation  demanding 
modified  methods  in  each  case ;  and  the  foundations 
are  being  laid  broad  and  deep  for  the  nobler  man  of 
the  future. 

In  this  great  work  of  rearing  the  ideal  man,  the 
influences  of  the  home  life  are  paramount,  and  the 
utmost  which  the  school  can  accomplish  is  to  sup- 
plement them.  Properly  speaking,  this  noblest  of 
all  creative  work  begins  with  the  grandparents.  At 
the  latest,  it  should  begin  in  the  spiritual  consecra- 
tion of  the  father  and  mother  long  before  the  birth 
of  their  first  child. 

If  the  marriage  is  the  fruition  of  spiritual  affinity, 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood     75 

this  dedication  of  the  soul  to  the  life  of  the  Spirit 
will  be  a  spontaneous  and  natural  consequence. 
Yet  even  if  the  parents  have  not  attained  a  high 
spiritual  level,  it  is  possible  for  them  to  transcend 
their  own  plane  through  the  earnest  aspiration,  the 
deep  sympathetic  receptivity  by  which  their  souls 
are  given  day  by  day  to  the  Highest. 

The  knowledge  that  the  soul  is  a  centre  of  spirit- 
ually creative  power  is  the  first  essential.  Ever 
gently  and  persistently  the  soul  is  played  upon  by 
the  immanent  Spirit,  welling  up  from  within,  seek- 
ing to  attain  higher  and  higher  levels.  The  im- 
manent power  ever  seeks  an  outlet  through  us.  If 
it  does  not  find  it  on  one  plane  it  seeks  it  on  another. 
That  is,  it  may  be  manifested  physically,  intellect- 
ually, or  spiritually :  through  quickening  and  tran- 
scending love.  The  channel  it  takes  is,  of  course, 
dependent  on  the  controlling  thought,  the  habits 
and  directions  of  mind.  If  these  decisive  thoughts 
are  centred  upon  the  ideal,  the  ascent  of  man,  the 
life  of  service  and  the  Christ,  the  creative  power  will 
seek  these  higher  levels,  drawing  to  it  forces  which 
otherwise  would  have  run  to  excess  or  found  expres- 
sion in  passion  or  selfishness. 

Thus  the  dominant  ideal,  the  conscious  and  sub- 
conscious attitude  of  the  parents,  is  expressed  in  the 
life  of  the  child.  There  are  possibilities  so  High 
and  probabilities  so  strongly  to  be  guarded  against, 
that  those  who  recognise  them  will  hardly  deem 
anything  of  such  great  importance  as  the  transcend-* 
ence  of  these  probable  tendencies  and  the  realisation 


76    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

of  the  nobler  possibilities  of  the  soul.  Not  merely 
through  the  conscious  aspiration,  but  through  the 
far  greater  receptivity  of  the  subconscious  mind  are 
these  nobler  powers  attracted.  It  is  the  general 
attitude,  the  atmosphere  of  the  home,  the  kind  of 
affinity,  the  degree  of  love  which  tells,  not  simply 
the  beliefs;  for  these  may  be  superficial  or  only 
passing  affirmations.  The  dynamic  centre  within  is 
the  decisive  factor,  and  the  idealism  must  be  made 
as  far  as  possible  a  mode  of  life,  in  order  for  the 
spiritual  to  dominate  the  undesirable  characteristics 
which  may  also  be  transmitted. 

Yet  it  is  well  to  remember  with  Emerson  that 
**  our  easy  spontaneous  action  is  always  best.*'  For 
what  should  be  sacred  may  be  made  common  if  it 
become  anxiously  self-conscious. 

The  wiser  process  is  to  trust  the  spiritual  ideal  to 
the  subconscious  mind,  to  send  it  forth  as  a  prayer 
into  the  great  universe,  to  make  it  part  and  parcel 
of  the  habitual  thought  of  daily  life.  The  Spirit 
quickens  whom  it  will.  It  enters  where  there  is 
greatest  receptivity,  and  this  is  often  where,  owing 
to  the  humility  of  those  who  are  chosen,  there  is 
the  least  self-consciousness.  For  self-consciousness 
merely  prepares  the  way;  it  is  the  Spirit  which 
accomplishes. 

Is  it  not  probable  that  this  subconscious  spiritual- 
ity of  the  parents  is  in  many  cases  the  cause  of  the 
more  spiritual  character  of  the  offspring,  wrongly 
attributed  by  Theosophists  to  reincarnation  ?  If 
the  parents  are  on  the  ascending  scale,  so  to  speak, 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood     "n 

may  they  not  thus  mount  far  beyond  their  present 
attainments,  bequeathing  a  more  advanced  disposi- 
tion to  their  children  ? 

^  To  the  question,  When  does  the  human  soul 
begin  ?  I  do  not  venture  an  answer.  That  seems  to 
be  a  part  of  the  enigma  which  makes  all  ultimate 
origins  a  mystery.  I  take  it  simply  as  a  fact  that  a 
divine  individuation  comes  out  of  the  unknown  into 
the  known,  and  that  the  type  of  soul  attracted  to 
the  parents  depends  largely  upon  the  plane  of  life 
attained,  and  upon  the  degree  of  subconscious  re- 
ceptivity, particularly  on  the  part  of  the  mother. 
Whatever  the  soul  may  be  as  an  original  individua- 
tion of  the  creative  Spirit,  there  is  abundant  evidence 
that  the  external  characteristics  are  inherited  from 
the  parents  and  grandparents.  Consequently,  it  is 
of  utmost  consequence  that  the  parents  attain  not 
only  soundness  of  body  but  equanimity,  self-control ; 
that  they  learn  to  draw  upon  the  omnipresent  crea- 
tive resources  of  the  Spirit. 

The  world  has  heard  chiefly  about  unfortunate 
prenatal  influences;  it  is  now  time  to  hear  about  the 
fortunate;  better  still,  it  is  time  to  realise  them. 
There  is  no  question  about  the  influence;  it  is  only 
matter  of  choice.  A  marvellous  power  for  good, 
for  beauty,  health,  and  love  resides  in  the  mental 
atmosphere  which,  figuratively  speaking,  surrounds 
the  consecrated  soul.  All  the  forces  of  practical 
idealism,  all  the  helpful  mental  pictures  which  the 
soul  can  command  should  be  brought  to  bear  for 
the  maintenance  of  this  atmosphere.     It  should  be 


78    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

inspired  by  hope,  health,  every  day  and  every 
hour.  It  should  be  the  culmination  of  the  mind's 
profoundest  researches  into  the  wonders  and  laws 
of  evolution.  In  fact,  evolution  itself  proceeds  most 
successfully  in  this  its  most  sacred  environment,  the 
aspiration  of  the  mother  heart. ^ 

In  the  earliest  years  of  the  child's  life,  it  is  also 
the  mental  atmosphere,  the  spiritual  presence,  the 
father-mother  life,  which  is  most  influential.  Few 
parents  realise  how  long  their  children  are  literally 
a  part  of  them,  how  like  a  sensitive  plant  the  little 
responsive  agent  vibrates  with  the  inner  attitude. 
If  they  realised  the  deeply  sacred  character  of 
parenthood,  what  a  reformation  there  would  be  in 
the  lives  of  those  who  are  now  lacking  in  poise, 
deficient  in  even  the  rudiments  of  self-knowledge 
and  self-control ! 

The  merest  observation  shows  to  how  slight  a  de- 
gree the  little  child  is  responsible  for  its  character 
and  deeds,  how  fully  its  life  is  dependent  on  the 
thoughts  and  acts  of  those  with  whom  it  is  brought 
in  constant  relation.  If  a  child  is  approached  with 
force,  impatiently,  or  in  a  condemnatory  spirit,  it 
quickly  responds  in  a  similar  manner.  On  the  con- 
trary, if  it  be  met  with  love,  no  being  in  the  world 
is  more  pliable.  There  are  boundless  possibilities 
here,  and  it  is  well  seriously  to  consider  them.     The 

^  The  reader  will  find  many  very  helpful  thoughts,  beautifully  and 
forcibly  stated,  in  Ideal  Motherhood^  by  Minnie  S.  Davis  (T.  Y. 
Crowell  &  Co.,  1898) ;  and  in  A  Mother's  Ideals^  published  by  the 
author,  Andrea  Hofer  Proudfoot,  1400  Auditorium,  Chicago,  1897. 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood    79 

child  is  very  seldom  to  blame;  it  is  the  attitude  and 
activity  of  the  approach  that  count. 

When  we  are  perfectly  honest  with  ourselves,  we 
confess  that  in  nearly  every  case  where  we  resorted 
to  force  with  the  little  ones,  it  was  because  of  our 
own  lack  of  self-control,  our  impatience.  Coercive 
measures  are  temporary  and  degrading  substitutes 
employed  while  we  are  on  the  road  to  the  manifest- 
ation and  guidance  of  all  things  through  the  silent, 
gentle  power  of  love  and  the  Spirit.  Punishment 
is  self-bringing  and,  generally  speaking,  need  not  be 
administered  by  man,  if  the  universe  be  permitted 
to  teach  it  through  the  law  of  action  and  reaction. 
Man's  part  is  to  dwell,  not  on  the  negative  condi- 
tions, but  upon  the  ideal  which  is  being  achieved 
through  them. 

In  many  other  ways,  the  mental  attitude  of  the 
parents  is  the  prime  factor  in  the  home.  In  illness 
as  in  health  it  is  the  father  and  mother,  especially 
the  mother  and  those  who  have  the  care  of  the 
child,  who  give  the  child's  conditions  the  wrong  or 
right  turn.  And  it  is  of  slight  avail  to  doctor  the 
child  if  it  IS  cared  for  by  those  who  are  high-strung, 
nervous,  full  of  fear,  or  ready  to  bestow  upon  the 
slightest  ailment  the  name  of  some  dreaded  disease. 

Parents  possessed  of  common  sense  will  keep  their 
children  close  to  nature,  regarding  the  little  ach^s 
and  pains  as  mere  frictions  of  growth  to  be  over- 
come, not  through  the  use  of  drugs,  but  by  keeping 
in  harmony  with  nature.  It  is  a  distressing  but  an 
actual   fact  that  a  healthy  child  may  be  made  a 


8o    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

weakling,  and  taught  to  suffer  the  entire  round  of 
(unnecessary)  children's  diseases,  by  watching  every 
breath  it  draws,  fearful  lest  a  bit  of  Nature's  pure 
and  healthy  air  come  nigh.  Happily,  these  absurd 
ideas  are  passing,  and  there  are  many  mothers  now- 
adays who  permit  their  children  to  grow  as  Nature 
guides.  But  there  is  still  great  need  of  reform,  that 
the  entire  thought  for  the  child  may  be  dedicated 
to  health  and  not  to  disease.  The  mother's  love  is 
of  itself  sufficient  to  cure  the  child  of  most  of  its 
ills,  if  all  her  thinking  is  toward  the  perfect,  in  trust- 
ful co-operation  with  the  Spirit,  if  she  herself  is 
poised  and  strong. 

Again,  in  the  later  years,  it  is  important  to  re- 
member that  there  are  certain  evolutionary  stages 
through  which  the  child  passes  which  are  best  dealt 
with  by  dwelling  on  the  positive  side.  Every  one 
of  these  disagreeable  features  may  be  loved  into 
traits  of  beauty  through  fidelity  to  the  ideal,  in  con- 
formity with  the  laws  of  evolution. 

Give  the  child  the  earliest  possible  opportunity  to 
learn  the  law  of  cause  and  effect.  Let  it  discover 
that  as  fire  always  burns,  so  you  are  always  to  be  de- 
pended on  if  approached  in  a  certain  mood.  Do 
not  threaten  beyond  what  you  have  the  heart  to 
carry  out.     Be  consistent  and  orderly. 

A  little  later,  point  out  that  the  same  law  applies 
to  our  thoughts  as  well,  and  so  teach  the  child  to 
build  ideals,  that  it  may  as  soon  as  possible  lay  the 
foundations  of  self-help. 

When  the  child  evinces  some  knowledge  of  this 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood    81 

fundamental  law  of  cause  and  effect,  or  action  and 
reaction,  the  time  has  arrived  for  the  first  explana- 
tions concerning  human  existence.  A  beginning  is 
best  made  by  pointing  out  the  law  of  growth  as  exhi- 
bited in  plant  life.  Explain  that  as  all  plants  spring 
from  the  seed  which  the  child  has  put  into  its  warm 
nest  in  the  soil,  so  all  animals  have  grown  from  a  sin- 
gle cell,  so  all  nature  has  evolved  from  small  to  great. 

From  step  to  step  one  may  lead  on,  by  the  use  of 
nature  studies,^  illustrations  drawn  from  the  child's 
life,  by  the  aid  of  natural  history  books,  until  the 
time  comes  to  explain  that  the  human  organism 
develops  in  the  same  way.  If  this  explanation  is 
rightly  given  it  will  be  a  memorable  experience  in 
the  child's  life. 

In  regard  to  the  age  at  which  this  explanation 
should  be  made,  it  is  difficult  to  state  a  rule  because 
some  children  mature  so  much  younger  than  others. 
Generally  speaking,  it  is  postponed  far  too  long. 
Begin  very  early,  long  before  the  child  can  hear 
anything  about  its  se^  nature  from  any  one  but  its 
mother.  The  beginning,  of  course,  is  in  the  right 
attitude  on  the  part  of  the  mother.  If  her  attitude 
calls  out  and  cherishes  the  child's  confidence,  it  will 
become  a  mighty  power  such  that  no  outside  influ- 
ence can  ever  master  it.  Under  these  conditions 
the  first  thought  of  the  boy  or  girl  will  always  b^e, 
*'  What  would  mother  say  ?  "  It  is  impossible  to 
overestimate  the  power  of  this  maternal  influence 

*  For  example,  Among  the  Forest  People  and  Among  the  Meadow 
People,  by  F.  C.  Gordon,  New  York  :  E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co. 
6 


82    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

and  devotion.  It  is  the  making  of  many  men  and 
women ;  for  no  school  or  college  pretends  to  make 
a  boy  or  girl  **  good." 

All  explanations  concerning  the  creative  life 
should  be  made  with  that  dedication  of  soul,  that 
spirit  of  sacredness  which  lifts  the  whole  subject  to 
the  spiritual  plane,  and  creates  an  atmosphere,  a 
quality  of  thought,  always  associated  with  the  sub- 
ject by  the  child.  The  foundations  of  spiritual 
marriage  are  laid  when  this  touch  of  sacredness  is 
imparted.     It  is  a  divine  moment  in  the  life  of  man. 

The  explanation  should,  of  course,  be  made  in 
parts  at  different  times,  notably  at  about  seven  or 
eight  and  eleven  or  twelve,  at  which  time  the  in- 
struction should  be  complete  and  searching.  But 
the  essential  thought  should  be  implanted  far  earlier 
than  this,  when  the  child  asks  the  first  questions 
about  its  organism. 

Do  not  be  afraid  to  talk  **  over  the  head"  of 
your  little  auditor.  The  child  apprehends  in  its  own 
way,  and  remembers  even  what  it  fails  to  under- 
stand. It  is  a  very  common  mistake  nowadays  to 
simplify  everything  for  children,  to  give  them  only 
infantile  books.  But  our  forefathers  in  the  literary 
world  had  no  such  books.  Consequently,  they  read 
the  standard  authors  and  poets  even  when  they  were 
mere  boys.  Thus  they  began  very  early  to  educate 
themselves,  and  to  cultivate  that  fine  literary  sense 
which  eventually  became  so  strong  that  they  never 
could  have  been  induced  to  read  the  second-rate 
literature  so  widely  circulated  nowadays. 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood    83 

A  kindergarten  teacher  recently  related  the  fol- 
lowing effective  incident.  The  children  had  been 
watching  the  growth  of  bulbs  in  the  school,  and 
when,  a  short  time  after,  one  of  the  little  ones 
passed  into  the  spiritual  world,  the  teacher  turned 
the  entire  thought  away  from  death  by  teaching 
them  to  say  in  concert  '*  Life  goes  on  forever." 
When,  a  few  days  later,  a  little  boy  spoke  of  their 
companion  as  **  dead,**  a  little  girl  immediately  cor- 
rected  him  by  saying,  **  Oh,  no;  life  goes  on  for 
ever.''  The  teacher  expressed  the  belief  that  the 
ideal  was  so  firmly  implanted  by  this  incident  that 
it  would  never  be  forgotten. 

The  explanation  pf  the  law  of  growth  is  naturally 
supplemented  by  the  great  thought  that  behind  all 
there  is  one  Life,  which  awakens  the  world  of  vege- 
tation in  the  spring,  quickens  the  animal  world,  and 
brings  us  all  into  physical  being.  Thus  the  child 
may  be  given  his  first  idea  of  the  Father,  as  the 
logical  outcome  of  the  foregoing  explanations.  In 
this  way  the  thought  of  the  divine  becomes  a  natural 
evolution,  and  the  parents  need  have  no  fear  that 
the  young  mind  will  later  be  won  over  by  the  entice- 
ments of  the  old  theology.  Years  of  unlearning,  of 
ridding  the  mind  of**  lumber,**  as  one  victim  ex- 
pressed it,  may  thus  be  avoided. 

In  order  to  answer  all  the  questions  a  child  may 
ask  when  these  great  thoughts  are  imparted — and 
this  is  very  essential — it  is  best  to  prepare  one*s  self 
in  advance. 

**  Do  you  happen  to  know  how  God  came  to  be 


84    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

here  ?'*  a  little  boy  recently  asked  his  mother  in 
despair,  after  having  propounded  the  question  in 
vain  to  several  of  his  elders.  The  origin  of  God  is 
sure  to  be  one  of  the  problems  raised.  To  meet  it, 
one  should  be  prepared  to  show  that  a  Power  or 
Life  must  always  have  existed,  that  there  always 
was  a  world,  some  world,  else  the  trees  and  animals, 
and  boys  and  girls,  could  not  exist  to-day.  The 
entire  explanation  concerning  natural  law  has  pre- 
pared the  way  for  this  climax.  It  should  be  based 
entirely  upon  the  law  of  cause  and  effect. 

Be  especially  explicit  in  speaking  of  the  soul  as  an 
immortal,  continuously  living  being,  superior  to 
death.  Call  attention  again  and  again  to  life,  life, 
the  invisible  essence  behind  and  within  all  that  fades 
and  perishes.  Explain  that  the  soul  abides  with 
and  is  in  direct  touch  with  the  Father,  from  whom 
all  our  noblest  aspirations  come.  Make  the  whole 
conception  living,  human,  simple,  close,  and  tender. 
Show  that  all  this  is  true  in  the  living  now.  Show 
how  the  Father  speaks  to  the  soul  as  conscience,  as 
peace,  as  love,  even  as  a  human  friend. 

Nothing  is  more  important  than  to  make  clear  this 
great  fact  that  the  child  is  a  soul,  not  a  physical 
being.  If  this  is  clearly  understood,  all  else  will  be 
clear.  The  thought  may  be  made  tangible  by 
explaining  that  the  soul  is  that  in  us  which  feels, 
thinks,  chooses,  and  acts ;  that  it  is  the  part  of  us 
which  feels  and  knows  God,  which  loves,  which  we 
love,  which  owns  and  uses  the  body  as  an  instru- 
ment. 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood    85 

Thus  the  child  may  very  early  grasp  the  thought 
that  there  is  a  power  in  us  which  is  superior  to,  and 
can  not  only  control  but  transmute  the  little  animal 
impulses.  Many  times  this  great  principle  may  be 
enforced  by  meeting  the  child  in  unusual  gentleness 
and  love,  if  it  chances  to  rush  into  the  house  in  the 
opposite  mood.  The  power  of  example,  thus  en- 
forced, will  in  due  time  become  first  the  ideal,  then 
the  habit,  of  the  child.' 

In  this  way,  preparation  may  be  made  years  be- 
fore for  the  more  strenuous  years  from  twelve  or 
thirteen  to  seventeen.  The  young  mind  will  have 
acquired  as  a  habit  the  power  of  turning  its  atten- 
tion in  a  higher  creative  direction.  It  will  know 
that  ideas  and  ideals  have  life  and  grow  like  seeds 
in  the  subconscious  mind,  that  if  the  thought  is 
pure  and  the  ideals  high,  the  mind  is  fortified  against 
the  severest  temptations  and  influences. 

With  this  creative  work  in  view,  it  is  wise  to  en- 
courage the  experimental  spirit  as  early  as  possible. 
Study  the  child's  tastes  and  tendencies  and  give  it 
tools  and  materials  wherewith  to  express  its  original 
ideas.  Thus  the  child  will  early  discover  the  re- 
sources of  the  inner  world  and  learn  to  draw  upon 
them  more  and  more. 

If  the  start  is  right,  if  the  home  ideals  are  high, 
the  outcome  is  assured.     The  higher  may  be  severely 

*  In  a  recent  discourse  in  Boston,  Mozoomdar,  the  great  Hindu 
religious  teacher,  summed  up  the  whole  of  morality  in  childhood  by 
saying,  *' Teach  children  first  self-control;  teach  them,  secondly, 
the  doing  of  good  deeds  to  others." 


86    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

buffeted  at  times,  but  it  will  always  conquer.  The 
essential  is  to  believe  in  the  soul,  to  call  out  the 
soul,  to  hold  to  the  ideal,  then  to  supply  the  neces- 
sary implements,  the  right  environment,  and  give 
proper  encouragement  at  those  plastic  times  when 
the  young  life  is  most  receptive  and  apt. 

There  is  a  happy  medium  between  believing  your 
child  a  genius  and  pushing  it  aside  to  depend  on  its 
own  resources.  First  of  all,  believe  in  your  child, 
judiciously  encourage  and  sympathise  with  it,  but 
do  not  forget  that  training  of  some  sort  is  equally 
essential.  Give  it  enough  difficulties  to  encounter 
so  that  it  may  learn  all  the  lessons  of  individual  ex- 
periment, and  acquire  all  the  strength  and  skill  of 
personal  mastery.  If  you  listen  to  your  boy  or  girl 
as  to  a  prophet,  you  will  surely  defeat  all  the  pur- 
poses of  the  spiritual  ideal.  The  wiser  way  is  to 
hold  that  confidence  which  is  ever  an  encourage- 
ment, without  any  of  that  worship  which  is  a  source 
of  unproductive  precociousness  and  self-conceit. 
Whether  you  are  a  parent  or  a  teacher,  regard  the 
child  as  a  human  being,  a  new  individual,  a  soul- 
equal,  and  your  companionship  is  sure  to  be  mutually 
helpful. 

There  is  also  a  mean  between  the  two  extremes 
of  over-training  and  the  neglect  of  which  many 
modern  parents  are  guilty  who  have  reacted  too  far 
from  all  educational  methods.  A  boy  is  not  an 
animal,  nor  is  he  a  picture  to  be  painted.  If  the 
little  ones  become  the  masters,  the  household  loses 
its   equilibrium.    .On   the   contrary,    if   the   elders 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood     87 

assume    ownership,    they    forfeit    the    right    to    be 
guides  and  friends. 

One  cause  of  the  modern  disregard  of  the  stand- 
ards of  obedience,  and  the  growing  irreverence  for 
parents,  is  the  absurd  idea  that  we  have  **  chosen 
our  parents,*'  and  they  are  only  secondary  after  all. 
It  seems  strange  that  one  must  remind  Theosophists 
that  every  child  who  receives  even  the  average 
amount  of  care,  owes  a  debt  to  its  mother  and  father 
which  the  noblest  work  of  service  to  humanity  will 
hardly  repay.  The  fact  that  a  child  possesses  quali- 
ties which  differentiate  it  from  its  parents,  does  not 
necessarily  prove  that  it  is  an  '*  old  soul.*'  The 
mysteries  of  prenatal  influence  have  not  yet  been 
solved. 

The  true  basis  of  reverence  is  love.  Where  love 
reigns,  there  will  be  no  probability  that  the  ideals 
of  parenthood  and  sonship  will  be  neglected.  This 
answers  the  vexed  question  concerning  prayer. 
Some  have  feared  that  if  a  child  is  not  taught  to 
repeat  a  prayer,  and  later  the  **  Lord's  Prayer,"  it 
may  develop  an  irreverent  spirit.  But  if  a  child  is 
taught  to  love  the  immanent,  omnipresent  Father, 
if  the  mother  talks  with  the  child  as  she  should,  all 
these  contingencies  will  be  avoided.  Admirable 
substitutes  for  conventional  prayers  may  be  found 
in  the  excellent  compilation  by  Whittier,  Child 
Lifey^  and  in  verses  like  the  familiar 

"  Every  day  is  a  fresh  beginning, 
Every  morn  is  a  world  made  new,"  etc. 

1  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 


88    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

By  teaching  these  and  other  idealistic  verses,  the 
complications  of  an  outgrown  theology  ^  may  be 
avoided. 

Soon  we  must  have  Sunday-schools  in  keeping 
with  these  higher  ideals,  schools  to  which  modern 
mothers  may  send  their  children  without  the  con- 
sciousness that  half  the  knowledge  thus  gained  must 
be  **  unlearned  '*  at  home.  Such  schools  will  be 
based  on  nature  studies,  practical  idealism,  and  a 
spiritual  philosophy  of  life.  They  will  supplement 
and  be  in  harmony  with  the  home  teaching,  and 
thus  admirably  carry  forward  the  general  work  of 
spiritual  education. 

Under  any  conditions,  the  foundations  of  Sunday- 
school  instruction  should  be  laid  at  home,  and  when 
the  higher'*  Sunday-schools  are  founded  they  should 
be  conducted  in  the  father  and  mother  spirit.  Thus 
the  home  is  the  beginning  of  all  branches  of  educa- 
tion, and  the  foregoing  ideals,  although  applicable 
in  a  measure  to  the  schools,  are  of  primary  value 
when  made  vital  factors  in  the  thought  of  the 
parents.  I  have  considered  these  ideals  in  a  brief, 
suggestive,  and  fragmentary  way  because  they 
become  thus  vitally  instrumental  only  when  the 
parents   work   out   the   principles   for   themselves. 

*  Do  not,  for  example,  use  the  terminology  associated  with  the 
word  **  sin,"  but  teach  the  child  that  its  lower  or  animal  nature  is  in 
process  of  growth.  Let  all  instruction  be  idealistic.  Let  it  all 
point  forward. 

^  *'  Higher"  because  founded  on  the  fact  of  the  immanent  Spirit, 
to  which  each  soul  may  have  immediate  access,  without  the  media 
of  creeds,  forms,  and  dogmas. 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood    89 

There  are  few  books  which  are  of  real  value.  The 
majority  are  like  treatises  on  pedagogy  —  cut  up, 
subdivided,  and  abounding  in  italicised  definitions 
without  number,  but  lacking  that  living  touch  which 
makes  them  truly  human.  The  great  resource  is  to 
start  with  natural  law  as  a  basis  and  develop  your 
entire  system  from  that.  And  the  two  great  secrets 
of  success  in  the  application  of  natural  principles 
are,  first,  to  control  yourself;  and,  second,  to  guide 
the  child  by  continually  interesting  its  attention ; 
for  attention  is  the  very  life  of  concentration  and 
will:  **  breaking  the  child's  will  is  a  cruel  blunder ^ 
Teachers  usually  complain  that  they  have  no  time 
to  apply  these  higher  ideals,  since  they  are  at  the 
mercy  of  the  pressure  system.  But  the  teacher  may 
at  least  adopt  the  evolutionary  point  of  view  in  re- 
gard to  the  disagreeable  stages  of  childhood,  and 
approach  the  pupils  in  a  spirit  of  optimism.  Even 
if  every  minute  be  in  subjection  to  the  pressure 
system,  the  teacher  may  call  the  subconscious  mind 
into  play  by  impressing  high  ideals  upon  it  a  mo- 
ment or  two  before  losing  consciousness  in  sleep. 
It  is  economy  to  do  this.  The  subconscious  mind 
will  in  due  time  affect  daily  conduct,  and  surely  no 
teacher  is  so  busy  that  a  moment  may  not  be  taken 
to  lower  the  voice,  to  speak  more  gently,  and  bec^ine 
more  moderate.  Then,  to  her  surprise,  the  teacher 
will  find  that  she  does  not  **  get  so  tired,*'  that  she 
has  more  time.  Thus  equanimity  will  accomplish 
what  school  reform  cannot.  Our  nervous,  hurrying 
life  is  the  real  cause  of  the  pressure  system.     When 


90    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

we  change  our  mode  of  life,  a  modified  curriculum 
will  be  a  natural  and  inevitable  result. 

With  a  reform  in  our  thought  and  life,  a  reform 
in  kindergarten  methods  will  also  follow/  Froebel 
was  inspired  by  a  grand  ideal  of  spiritual  education, 
but  many  of  his  exponents  are  unequal  as  yet  to  the 
task  of  interpreting  him.  An  entire  philosophical 
system  is  involved  in  his  doctrine,  and  one  must  live 
and  think  deeply  to  understand  it. 

The  chief  defects  of  current  kindergarten  methods 
are  not,  however,  philosophical  but  practical.  As 
at  present  carried  out,  FroebeFs  ideas  undoubtedly 
lead  to  many  vague  fancies  which  must  some  time 
give  place  to  sound  scientific  knowledge.  The  dif- 
fusion of  force  exemplified  in  some  kindergartens 
must  also  be  remedied.  If  all  instruction  could  be 
in  harmony  with  natural  law,  there  would  be  little 
need  of  many  of  the  methods  now  employed. 

Nature  teaches  concentration,  system.  The  child 
whose  training  is  grounded  in  natural  law  may  be 
educated  by  a  higher  method  than  either  the  old  or- 
thodox system  with  its  enforced  silence  and  irksome 
reverence,  or  the  new  method,  or  lack  of  method, 
with  its  extreme  regard  for  passing  whims  and  fan- 
cies. Just  as  extreme  restriction  at  home  breeds  de- 
ceit among  the  children  and  is  harmful  to  the  parents 
who  uphold  the  rules,  so  the  neglect  of  that  training 
which  gives  concentration  is  followed  by  unfortunate 
results  in  the  later  years  of  mental  unfolding. 

^  See  an  able  critique  by  President  Stanley  Hall  in  the  Forum» 
January,  1900, 


The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood    91 

Yet  there  are  times  when  the  child's  native  in- 
stincts are  to  be  consulted  in  preference  to  an  ac- 
cepted theory  of  education,  as  the  following  instance 
shows.  The  editor  of  a  kindergarten  magazine 
advised  her  readers  to  have  the  little  children  press 
and  mount  flowers.  Accordingly,  a  certain  kinder- 
gartner,  much  against  her  will,  but  accepting  the 
authority  of  her  chief  as  final,  proposed  an  excur- 
sion to  the  fields  for  the  purpose  of  pressing  flowers. 
Her  pupils  declared  their  lack  of  interest,  but  the 
teacher  still  persisted,  although  the  little  ones  man- 
ifested no  pleasure  when  a  book  was  produced  and 
the  dainty  flowers  were  plucked  from  their  waving 
stems  to  be  imprisoned  within  its  leaves.  When 
the  time  came,  a  few  days  later,  to  open  the  book 
and  mount  the  flowers,  one  little  fellow  piped  up 
and  exclaimed,  **  Well,  we  Ve  killed  them  this  time.'* 
The  teacher  persisted,  however,  and  showed  the 
children  how  to  mount  the  flowers.  But  one  could 
have  heard  a  pin  drop  during  the  operation,  she 
said.  And  then  and  there  the  teacher  decided  to 
obey  the  promptings  of  Nature  rather  than  the 
dictates  of  authority. 

Froebel  assures  us  ^  that"  education  in  instruction 
and  training,  originally  and  in  its  first  principles, 
should  necessarily  be  passive,  following  (only  guard- 
ing and  protecting),  not  prescriptive,  categorical, 
interfering."  Everything  depends  upon  how  deeply 
we  understand  the  child,  and  the  natural  law  where- 
by the  soul  is  to  be  led  forth  into  expression.     When 

^  Education  of  Man,  p.  7. 


92    The  Spiritual  Ideal  in  Childhood 

we  begin  truly  to  understand  this  leading,  as  Froebel 
perceived  it,  we  may  find  that  a  large  part  of  our 
educational  system  is  at  fault.  And  so  our  final 
word  in  regard  to  the  whole  system,  from  the  kind- 
ergarten to  the  university,  is  that  it  is  experiment- 
al; it  advances  only  as  the  experiment  called  life 
advances,  and  possibly  we  have  progressed  only  a 
little  way  in  the  multiform  solution  essential  to  a 
satisfactory  theory  of  education. 


CHAPTER  VI 

AN   EXPERIMENT   IN   EDUCATION 

Every  life  is  a  profession  of  faith,  and  exercises  an  inevitable  and 
silent  propaganda.  As  far  as  lies  in  its  power,  it  tends  to  transform 
the  universe  and  humanity  into  its  own  image. — Amiel's  Journal. 

THE  inner  life  of  man  is  a  progressive  awakening 
to  the  laws  and  opportunities  of  the  soul  as  a 
creative  agent  in  the  great  world  of  nature  and  so- 
ciety. It  begins  with  the  first  dim  intimations  of 
self-consciousness  as  contrasted  with  its  environ- 
ment, and  proceeds  stage  by  stage  until  the  soul  at 
last  becomes  conscious  of  the  grand  possibilities  of 
evolutionary  education.  The  soul  then  for  the  first 
time  learns  its  sacred  significance  as  an  organic 
factor  in  the  wonderfully  varied  system  of  divine 
self-manifestation.  A  new  sense  of  responsibility  is 
quickened,  a  new  impetus  is  imparted  to  daily  life, 
and  existence  is  held  to  be  worth  living  in  a  sense 
never  dreamed  of  before.  For  with  this  deep  quicl^- 
ening  of  the  ethical  and  spiritual  incentives,  there 
dawns  a  consciousness  of  the  close  relationship  of  all 
human  beings  as  sharers  and  helpers  in  the  same 
great  evolutionary  process. 
This  organic  fellowship  of  all  human  souls  we 

93 


94  *    An  Experiment  in  Education 

shall  consider  more  at  length  in  a  later  chapter.  But, 
.accepting  it  as  the  most  important  phase  of  the  dis- 
covery that  man  is  a  creative  agent,  it  is  evident  that 
each  man*s  educational  experiment  should  as  early 
as  possible  be  adapted  with  this  social  ideal  in  view. 
Individuality  is  no  doubt  an  end  in  itself,  yet  it 
becomes  truly  itself  only  as  it  is  contributory,  and 
we  must  keep  the  social  ideal  in  sight  in  order  to 
lift  education  to  the  spiritual  plane.  In  this  way 
we  shall  avoid  the  eccentricities  which  so  often 
characterise  a  merely  individualistic  experiment  in 
education.    ' 

Frankly  accepting  life  as  an  experiment,  with  the 
knowledge  that  each  soul  is  essentially  unlike  all 
other  souls,  yet  designedly  so,  that  it  may  creat- 
ively add  to  life's  social  evolution,  it  is  clear  that 
we  must  adapt  all  educational  methods  to  this  in- 
finite variety,  and  depart  as  far  as  possible  from  all 
mechanical  standards.  Since  education  at  best  is 
only  the  means,  while  the  soul  is  the  end,  education 
should  be  inspired  by  knowledge  of  its  sacred  func- 
tion: a  calling  out  to  the  full  of  the  individual 
creative  power  of  each  soul  reccfgnised  as  of  special 
worth  in  itself. 

It  is  clear,  however,  that  educators  may  err  in 
their  zealous  emphasis  of  the  individualistic  side. 
While  each  soul  needs  specific  attention  and  an  in- 
dividually favourable  environment,  there  are  many 
ideals  which  may  be  realised  in  common,  there  is 
culture  which  everybody  needs.  For  example, 
everyone   must   learn   self-control,  everyone   must 


An  Experiment  in  Education       95 

acquire  concentration,  must  learn  to  think,  become 
quickened  to  the  love  of  truth  for  its  own  sake, 
beauty  for  art's  sake,  and  utility  as  a  prime  essential 
in  all  training.  Every  person  needs  the  discipline 
of  a  thorough  system,  and  there  is  a  strong  argu- 
ment for  postponing  the  experimental  years  until 
**  the  age  of  reason." 

Because  of  the  value  of  school  and  college  training 
as  contrasted  with  personal  experiment,  the  educa- 
tional world  is  likely  to  be  divided  for  many  gen- 
erations to  come  between  two  sharply  contrasted 
methods  of  culture  :  teaching  by  authority,  gradu- 
ated system,  precise  and  thorough  as  that  of  Ger- 
many; and  teaching  by  the  elective  plan,  by 
self-development  and  experiment.  A  philosopher 
would  probably  say  that  the  wisest  method  is  a 
synthesis  of  these  extremes.  But  adjustment  be- 
tween extremes  is  precisely  the  problem  which  the 
practical  worker  finds  most  difficult.  As  long  as 
authorities  differ,  the  controversy  concerning  this 
adjustment  is  sure  to  present  ever  fresh  problems, 
and  both  extremes  are  likely  to  become  more  ex- 
treme before  a  satisfactory  solution  is  reached. 

Meanwhile  the  decision  in  a  particular  case  is 
likely  to  depend  chiefly  upon  inheritance,  environ- 
ment, and  the  accidents  of  fortune.  Yet  as  every 
life  is  a  fresh  experiment,  seemingly  accidental  in- 
stances may  throw  great  light  on  the  total  problem. 
My  own  education  has  been  almost  wholly  of  an 
unconventional  sort,  and  the  doctrine  of  this  book 
is  necessarily,  perhaps  helpfully,, coloured  by  it.     I 


96       An  Experiment  in  Education 

attended  school  but  four  years,  I  did  not  spend  a 
day  in  a  high  or  preparatory  school,  and  five  years 
of  business  experience  came  before  I  entered  college 
at  twenty-four.  And  so,  having  wholly  avoided  the 
pressure  system,  my  experiment  may  serve  either  to 
point  out  the  way  in  which  danger  lies,  or  be  an 
illumination  to  those  similarly  placed,  as  the  in- 
dividual may  decide. 

For  those  who  can  bear  it,  there  may  be  nothing 
better  than  the  strenuously  thorough  training  of  the 
German  gymnasiuniy  and  in  the  case  of  Professor 
Miinsterberg,  its  latest  and  ablest  champion,^  this 
system  seems  to  have  presented  no  obstacles.  But 
the  crucial  question  is.  Do  we  wish  to  evolve  only 
German  scientists  ?  Is  a  man  likely  to  become 
original,  spiritual,  creative,  under  this  process  ?  If 
not,  we  must  have  a  wholly  different  environment 
to  meet  a  totally  different  demand. 

Moreover,  the  number  of  **  misfits  "  is  increasing, 
those  who,  sensitively  organised,  extremely  nervous 
or  introspective,  do  not  thrive  in  any  school.  There 
are  many  whose  health  will  not  permit  such  strenu- 
ous work ;  this  is  especially  the  case  with  tall  boys 
who  grow  very  rapidly  between  the  ages  of  fourteen 
and  sixteen.  In  these  cases,  the  only  alternative, 
of  course,  is  to  instruct  the  children  at  home  for  a 
time,  then  give  them  such  schooling  at  intervals  as 
can  be  borne  without  detriment,  supplemented  by 
physical  culture,  manual  training,  or  the  learning  of 

^  See  the  Atlantic  Monthly^  May,  1900.     Professor  Munsterberg's 
strongest  point  is  his  plq^  for  better-trained  teachers. 


An  Experiment  in  Education       97 

a  trade.  Among  the  boys  of  this  type  whom  I  have 
had  opportunity  to  observe,  those  have  thrived  best 
who,  never  permitted  to  be  idle  while  unable  to 
attend  school,  have  been  taught  a  trade. 

Every  thoughtful  person  knows  that  to  learn  one 
thing  well  is  more  profitable  than  to  acquire  a  smat- 
tering of  many  arts  and  sciences.  Everywhere  the 
individual  leads  to  the  universal,  and  when  a  man 
has  mastered  an  art  or  science,  he  is  prepared  to 
begin  in  earnest  to  realise  the  scientific  man*s  ad- 
vice: **  Know  everything  about  something;  know 
something  about  everything.**  The  chief  fault  of 
conventional  education  is  that  it  teaches  so  many 
subjects  in  so  short  a  time.  But  just  that  attain- 
ment which  high  and  preparatory  schools  usually  do 
not  give,  namely,  concentration,  the  power  of  indi- 
vidual thought,  is  the  freest  gift  to  all  who  learn  a 
trade  or  some  practical  occupation  which  they 
enjoy. 

In  the  first  place,  the  mastering  of  a  trade  which 
must  become  remunerative  as  soon  as  possible,  com- 
pels one  to  be  practical.  In  the  case  of  an  intro- 
spective, idealistic,  or  speculative  temperament, 
this  is  of  great  moment ;  it  lays  the  foundation  for 
the  whole  of  life  of  that  balancing  tendency  which 
keeps  the  mind  from  flying  aloft  to  visionary  heights. 
This  gift  from  practical  life  is  wortji  more  to  a  mind 
of  the  above-mentioned  type  than  all  the  classic  in- 
struction in  the  world.  A  mind  of  this  type  is  apt 
to  take  itself  too  seriously,  to  overestimate  the  value 
of  its  own  opinions,  if  it  be  not  thus  early  brought 


98       An  Experiment  in  Education 

in  close  contact  with  the  demands  of  practical  exist- 
ence. 

Again,  the  technical  knowledge  thus  gained  is 
sure  to  be  of  value.  If  a  boy  is  placed  where  he 
must  keep  accounts  for  a  time,  he  learns  arithmetic 
by  using  it,  whereas  he  may  have  been  mathemati- 
cally dull  in  school.  Type-setting  is  excellent  train- 
ing, of  great  value  in  many  occupations  in  after  life ; 
of  value,  too,  in  the  use  of  English.  Proof-reading 
is  better  yet,  since  it  is  splendid  training  for  the 
powers  of  observation;  there  is  some  opportunity 
for  the  exercise  of  literary  taste ;  it  teaches  the  art 
of  punctuation,  and  is  helpful  in  the  choice  and  use 
of  words.  All  branches  of  newspaper  work  are  of 
great  educational  value.  The  mastery  of  steno- 
graphy not  only  trains  and  perfects  the  memory,  but 
makes  one  a  good  listener,  and  is  an  unsurpassed 
method  for  the  training  of  the  attention.  Tele- 
graphy is  valuable,  but  is  not  equal  in  scope  to 
stenography.  One  whose  training  has  been  almost 
wholly  of  the  practical  kind  says  that  he  gained 
more  genuine  mental  discipline  through  the  mastery 
of  telegraphy  and  stenography  than  through  all  his 
years  of  schooling. 

Professor  Miinsterberg  argues  against  letting  a 
boy  do  what  he  chooses.  In  practical  life  there  are 
sure  to  be  contingencies  which  counteract  the  elect- 
ive system  in  a  far  better  way  than  by  any  method 
of  human  devising.  The  compulsory  breaking  away 
from  a  favourite  environment,  because  a  boy's 
parents   decide    to   move  to   another   State,   is   an 


An  Experiment  in  Education       99 

illustration.  The  death  of  the  father,  which  com- 
pels a  boy  or  girl  to  leave  an  ideal  situation  for  one 
that  is  more  remunerative  is,  as  everybody  knows, 
bftentimes  the  making  of  a  man  or  woman. 

Again,  there  are  situations  like  this.  A  young 
man  enters  the  newspaper  business  and  gradually 
rises  to  the  position  of  business  manager.  The  sub- 
scription list  is  placed  in  his  care.  He  counts  the 
names  and  also  learns  the  actual  number  of  papers 
printed  per  week — less  than  one  half  the  boasted 
circulation!  He  complains  to  the  proprietor,  and 
is  told  that  a  paper  which  does  not  keep  up  with 
the  deceits  of  its  contemporaries  will  be  left  behind 
in  the  race.  The  young  man  finds  it  easier  and 
easier  to  deceive  until  he  reaches  a  point  where  he 
knows  that  he  will  soon  deceive  unconsciously. 
What  shall  he  do — permit  prevarication  and  com- 
mercialism to  become  second  nature,  or  resign,  fore- 
going a  large  salary  ?  The  decision  comes  quickly 
if  he  thinks,  unless  —  terrible  thought!  —  it  means 
starvation  for  wife  or  mother. 

Thus  practical  life  may  be  trusted  to  provide 
man-making  opportunities.  In  school  or  out,  no 
one  can  escape  these.  As  one  looks  back  upon 
deprivations  which  seemed  hard  at  the  time,  and 
upon  disappointments  which  were  almost  unbear- 
able, one  sees  that  a  Wisdom  has  presided  over 
events  in  a  marvellous  way. 

It  may  seem  a  long  break  from  systematic  study 
to  omit  the  high  school,  and  many  will  question 
whether  the  taste  for  learning  will  ever  be  quickened. 


loo     An  Experiment  in  Education 

But  if  there  be  somewhat  which  demands  expression, 
it  will  be  aroused.  And  when  the  awakening  comes, 
the  years  of  practical  experience  which  brought  one 
in  close  contact  with  real  life,  with  the  wage-earning 
class  and  with  the  struggle  for  existence,  will  be  of 
incalculable  value.  No  experience  is  profitless  when 
the  soul  comes  to  consciousness. 

Yet  I  would  emphasise  the  need  of  placing  before 
every  boy  and  girl  those  opportunities  and  books 
which  are  likely  to  call  out  the  soul  during  those 
crucial  years  variously  called  '*  the  age  of  conceit," 
**  the  age  of  reason,'*  and  **  the  soul's  awakening." 
If  the  awakening  soul  is  surrounded  by  idealising 
influences  and  given  the  right  books,  years  of  diffus- 
ion of  force  may  be  avoided.  For  if  the  taste  for 
better  things  is  then  quickened,  the  mind  is  not 
likely  to  turn  aside  into  morbid  channels  or  the 
wiles  and  subtleties  of  baneful  literature. 

It  may  interest  the  reader  to  know  what  books 
brought  the  awakening  in  a  given  case.  The  in- 
stance is  that  of  a  young  man  who  for  years  had  no 
ambition  beyond  the  business  in  which  he  was  em- 
ployed, where  he  hoped  to  attain  the  highest  level, 
— an  occupation  totally  at  variance  with  all  heredit- 
ary tendencies, —  but  who  matured  late  and  ap- 
parently suffered  no  serious  loss.  I  will  let  him  tell 
the  story  in  his  own  words,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recol- 
lect them. 

**  I  am  amazed,"  said  my  friend,  **  when  I  re- 
collect how  ignorant  I  was  during  those  business 
years  of  that  which,  according  to  Macaulay,  *  every 


An  Experiment  in  Education      loi 

schoolboy  knows/  Macaulay*s  schoolboy  was  a 
prodigy,  to  be  sure,  but  I  did  not  possess  a  third  of 
such  a  boy's  knowledge.  In  school  I  had  stood  at  the 
head  of  my  class  in  spelling  and  geography,  but  at 
the  foot  in  arithmetic,  and  history  I  had  not  studied 
at  all.  I  had  read  almost  nothing  outside  of  school. 
I  was  Ignorant  even  of  the  names  of  the  standard 
authors.  My  work  was  closely  confining,  I  had  no 
society,  and  when,  owing  to  the  plans  of  my  parents, 
I  was  forced  to  leave  the  little  town  where  I  worked, 
it  was  many  months  before  I  became  reconciled  to 
my  new  social  situation.  But  when  I  discovered 
the  world  of  literature,  how  sudden  and  complete 
the  change ! 

**  It  all  began  with  Shakespeare's  Hamlet,  which 
I  studied  in  an  elocution  class,  and  with  Lowell's 
Among  my  Books  and  My  Study  Windows j  which  I 
read  simply  because  I  had  seen  the  titles  in  a  game 
of  authors.  Once  started,  I  did  not  stop.  I  read 
every  word  that  Shakespeare  wrote,  and  many  of 
the  commentaries  on  his  plays.  Lowell's  essays 
quickened  interest  in  other  poets,  and  I  read  through 
nearly  all  the  great  poets,  and  read  their  biograph- 
ies. Thus  one  book  led  to  another  by  a  process  of 
natural  suggestion. 

**  Then,  in  a  fortunate  hour,  a  friend  gave  me  tv^o 
volumes  of  Emerson's  Essays,  and  shortly  afterwards 
my  doom  was  sealed.  I  read  every  word  of  Emer- 
son, and  every  book  about  him.  I  read  Emerson's 
favourite  authors,  and  these  sent  me  to  more.  This 
reading  also  raised  for  me  the  great  problems  of 


I02     An  Experiment  in  Education 

philosophy,  religion,  and  science,  and  I  read  such 
works  as  Lewes*s  Biographical  History  of  Philosophy ^ 
and  James  Freeman  Clarke's  Ten  Great  Religions  ; 
later,  Berkeley,  Martineau,  Darwin,  Huxley,  Wal- 
lace, Le  Conte,  John  Fiske,  and  the  works  of  many 
other  scientific  and  philosophical  writers.  I  be- 
came, in  fact,  a  very  general  reader,  laying  the 
foundations,  unwittingly,  of  a  general  education/' 

This  opportunity  for  general  reading  is  one  of  the 
best  in  a  free  educational  experiment.  If  one  is 
free  to  read  what  the  higher  self  dictates,  the  books 
thus  chosen  are  sure  to  be  remembered ;  they  are 
read  as  literature,  not  as  text-books  for  examination 
purposes,  and  in  later  years,  when  one  must  be  a 
specialist,  the  knowledge  thus  gained  will  be  turned 
to  account  in  unsuspected  ways.  I  have  proved 
this  from  personal  experience,  and  next  to  the  in- 
fluences of  home  life  and  the  practical  training  in  the 
business  world,  I  would  place  the  years  of  unhamp- 
ered reading  of  great  authors,  an  experience  which, 
in  my  own  case,  was  largely  quickened  by  Emerson. 

Best  of  all,  in  these  formative  years  when  one 
wanders  at  will  through  the  treasure-house  of  books, 
if  one  begins  to  express  the  soul  in  some  way,  by 
keeping  a  journal,  writing  verse,  sketching,  com- 
posing, anything  which  gives  play  to  the  creative 
faculty,  these  years  of  wandering  will  assume  speci- 
fic shape  and  prepare  the  way  for  public  service. 

It  is  also  essential  that  the  religious  nature  be 
kept  free  from  hampering  influences.  See  to  it  that 
your  son  and  daughter  are  not  drawn  into  the  church 


An  Experiment  in  Education      103 

through  a  merely  emotional  experience.  It  were 
better  that  they  should  not  attend  church  for  a  time 
than  that  they  should  sacrifice  freedom  of  thought. 
When  the  souFs  awakening  comes,  advise  them  to 
attend  the  services  of  every  kind  of  church,  and 
think  for  themselves.  Place  books  where  they  are 
sure  to  find  them  which,  like  Lydia  Maria  Child's 
Aspirations  of  the  World,  or  Clarke's  Ten  Great 
Religions,  acquaint  them  with  the  fact  that  there  are 
many  religions  besides  Christianity.  Your  children 
may  miss  the  advantages  of  membership  in  one 
church,  but  they  will  gain  the  inestimable  advantage 
of  membership  in  the  church  universal. 

Again,  travel,  and  especially  foreign  travel,  ac- 
quaints one  with  self,  shows  what  one  knows  and 
does  not  know,  and  quickens  a  deep  desire  for 
knowledge.  In  many  an  instance  it  has  been  the 
basis  of  what  is  known  as  the  higher  education.  In 
my  experiment  it  was  foreign  travel,  combined  with 
the  years  of  general  reading,  which  at  twenty-two 
prompted  the  first  desire  for  college  training. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  college  years  are  sure 
to  be  greatly  beneficial.  For  the  student  is  old 
enough  to  know  his  needs ;  he  knows  what  he  wants 
to  study,  he  has  seen  something  of  life ;  and  in  a 
college  like  Harvard  he  can  from  the  first  elect  thpse 
courses  which  his  now  rapidly  developing  individual- 
ity most  keenly  craves. 

The  business  man  will  argue  that  it  is  absurd  to 
let  a  boy  wait  until  he  is  twenty-two  before  he  even 
begins  to  prepare  for  college,  and  it  may  be  absurd 


I04     An  Experiment  in  Education 

if  a  man  is  to  be  a  mere  money-maker.  But  if  he  is 
to  be  true  to  the  spiritual  ideal,  is  it  not  highly 
practical  to  wait  until  everything  shall  be  turned  to 
creative  account  ? 

There  are  decided  disadvantages  in  the  postpone- 
ment of  the  study  of  Greek  and  Latin  until  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  but  there  are  rich  compensations. 
Xenophon,  Caesar,  and  Homer  are  studied  as  Lowell 
would  have  them  read,  namely,  as  literature.  His- 
tory is  read  as  a  part  of  human  life,  and  science  is 
turned  to  instant  account  as  furnishing  the  most 
modern  point  of  view. 

To  be  sure,  one  may  miss  many  of  the  pleasures 
of  college  sports  and  social  life  by  entering  college  as 
late  as  twenty-four.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are 
few  distractions,  and  one  may  give  the  mind  more 
fully  to  the  great  ideals  of  intellect  and  Spirit.     . 

There  is  perhaps  nothing  more  important  in  edu- 
cational work  than  learning  to  think.  The  habit 
once  acquired,  if  one  has  been  free  from  religious 
and  other  coercion,  the  tendency  is  not  likely  to 
stop  short  of  entire  intellectual  and  spiritual  liberty. 
To  the  maturer  student,  college  life  comes  as  the 
natural  complement  of  the  previous  years  of  free 
experiment  and  general  reading.  For  under  the 
Harvard  elective  system  one  may  confine  one's  self 
to  two  or  three  subjects,  even  to  one  subject  per 
year,  and  thus  have  time  to  do  thorough,  thought- 
ful work. 

Ideally  speaking,  one  should  have  far  more  special 
preparation  for  college  than  can  be  gained  in  the  two 


An  Experiment  in  Education      105 

or  three  years  to  which  one  is  likely  to  be  limited 
after  the  age  of  twenty.  But  there  are  all  the  ad- 
vantages on  the  other  side  which  we  have  considered 
in  this  chapter,  and  the  majority  of  minds  acquire 
the  requisite  knowledge  very  rapidly  at  this  maturer 
period :  they  have  learned  how  to  work ;  they  know 
what  freedom  from  pressure  is,  and  will  not  permit 
their  energies  to  run  to  excess.  Another,  advantage 
is  found  in  the  fact  that  if  a  favourite  author,  like 
Emerson,  has  quickened  the  spiritual  nature,  the 
intellect  does  not  become  supremely  dominant,  and 
education  assumes  that  broader  form  which  prepares 
the  way  for  many-sided  social  life. 

If  the  critic  complains  at  this,  introduction*  of  the 
Spirit,  then  let  him  and  his  followers  pursue  the 
conventional  course.  But  everyone  who  has  for 
years  given  play  to  his  intellect,  then  tried  to  curb 
it,  knows  how  strong  is  the  tendency  to  become  a 
mere  scholar.  The  temptation  is  to  study  on  and 
on,  absorbed  in  mere  technicalities;  the  true  educa- 
tional spirit  has  many  other  demands  which  a  man 
is  likely  to  hear  if  his  ears  be  not  over-fascinated  by 
the  enticements  of  the  intellect. 

Every  man  who  has  matured  without  the  conven- 
tional school  and  college  training  would  be  other 
than  he  is  had  he  been  given  that  training,  and  no 
man  can  positively  know  which  course  wouldliave 
led  to  the  better  results ;  for  we  know  only  by  doing. 
But  every  man  who  understands  himself  knows  what 
influences  have  helped  him  most,  and  it  is  a  signifi- 
cant fact  that  so  many  who  are  unconventionally 


io6     An  Experiment  in  Education 

educated  express  their  unwillingness  to  exchange 
their  years  of  general  reading  and  business  experi- 
ence for  the  best  training  a  preparatory  school  could 
give. 

The  moral  is  easy.  Raise  the  intermediate  schools 
to  a  higher  standard  to  meet  the  demands  of  those 
who  are  not  fit  subjects  for  the  pressure  system. 
Teach  fewer  subjects  and  teach  them  well.  Prepare 
your  scholars  for  a  life  of  individual  thought,  and 
do  not  permit  the  demands  of  college  entrance 
examinations  to  defeat  the  purposes  of  education. 

Of  all  terrors  in  the  educational  world  entrance 
examinations  are  the  worst,  and  it  is  evident  that 
something  is  wrong.  Is  it  not  unfair,  for  example, 
for  the  professor  who  is  a  genius  in  mathematics  to 
select  exceedingly  difificult  problems  by  which  to 
test  a  boy's  ability,  then  grant  him  barely  fifty-five 
minutes  in  which  to  try  to  solve  them  ?  It  is  surely 
no  demerit  to  fail,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  so  many 
students  enter  college  conditioned  in  mathematics. 
Examinations,  after  all,  are  the  chief  sources  of  the 
pressure  system.  What  a  relief  it  is  to  enter  college 
where,  in  so  many  courses  nowadays,  one  may  sub- 
stitute theses. 

Emerson's  advice  to  a  college  boy  was:  **  Room 
alone  and  keep  a  journal.*'  It  is  the  spontaneous 
results  of  education  which  really  show  the  progress 
a  student  has  made.  Every  man  who  is  alive  to 
his  opportunities  is  sure  to  give  some  sign  of 
growth,  and  if  he  be  not  alive  coercion  will  not  make 
him  so.     But  if  Emerson  was  right,  conventional 


An  Experiment  in  Education      107 

education  is  largely  wrong.  Emerson  assures  us  that 
education  should  be  **  as  broad  as  man/*  and  he 
had  already  defined  each  individual  as  a  **  new 
classification/*  **  Cannot  we  let  people  be  them- 
selves, and  enjoy  life  in  their  own  way  ?**  he  ex- 
claims. **  You  are  trying  *to  make  that  man  another 
you.  One  *s  enough.**'  You  cannot  tell  what  a 
boy  or  girl  most  needs  any  more  than  you  can  de- 
cide that  he  shall  be  a  lawyer  or  a  doctor.  **  That 
which  a  man  can  do  best  none  but  his  Maker  can 
teach  him,**  again  says  our  great  seer. 

Having  said  so  much  against  high  and  preparatory 
schools,  it  is  time  to  admit  that  they  are  not  all  as 
objectionable  as  the  foregoing  aspersions  would 
suggest.  I  know  a  teacher  in  a  high  school  in  one 
of  our  largest  cities  who  is  triumphing  over  the 
pressure  system  by  explicitly  showing  his  boys  that 
to  pass  the  entrance  examinations  is  a  secondary 
end,  the  first  being  the  attainment  of  power,  the 
cultivation  of  concentration  and  self-control.  He 
emphasises  these  higher  ideals  by  placing  *'  ideal 
suggestions  **  upon  the  blackboard  for  his  pupils  to 
copy,  by  explaining  the  functions  of  the  subcon- 
scious mind,  and  by  personal  talks  with  each  boy  on 
purity  and  self-mastery.  The  results  are  excellent. 
There  are  probably  many  teachers  who  are  winning 
the  same  triumph.  There  is  surely  every  reason  to 
encourage  this  reform  within  conventional  ranks, 
every  reason  why  the  teacher  should  be  spiritually 
as  well  as  intellectually  equipped. 

*  Essay  on  Education, 


io8     An  Experiment  in  Education 

Yet  our  chief  concern  in  this  chapter  is  still  with 
**  the  misfit/' — the  man  who  must  unconventionally 
select  his  educational  opportunities. 

That  man  is  said  to  be  badly  educated  who  edu- 
cates himself,  yet  every  thinker  knows  that  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  word  education  is  fundamentally 
matter  of  self-development.  It  is  what  a  man 
evolves  out  of  his  opportunities  that  counts,  and  it 
is  almost  commonplace  nowadays  to  state  that  men 
who  make  their  mark  in  the  world  are  usually  those 
who  have  come  from  the  common  walks  of  life  and 
chosen  opportunities  which  suited  them  —  when  it 
pleased  them.  Education,  if  it  is  to  be  **  as  broad 
as  man,''  must  take  full  advantage  of  this  native 
tendency  to  originate,  experiment,  and  take  its  own 
time;  otherwise  it  is  largely  interference. 

In  the  profoundest  sense,  no  man  ever  transcends 
the  relative,  individual  point  of  view.  This  being 
so,  there  is  every  reason  to  develop  this  point  of 
view  to  the  full,  that  it  may  mature  through  its  own 
strength,  contributing  in  fullest  measure  to  the 
growth  of  other  minds. 

Man  is  by  nature  an  imitative  creature.  This  is 
a  very  strong  reason  why  he  should  be  encouraged 
to  originate.  Spontaneity  and  receptivity,  leisure 
for  experiment  and  meditation,  are  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  originality.  The  highest  that  a  man  can  do 
is  taught  him  by  a  spontaneous  revelation  welling 
up,  according  to  laws  of  its  own,  in  the  minds  of 
those  whose  lives  are  consecrated  to  it.  All  con- 
sciousness,   all    training,    all    reading,    should    be 


An  Experiment  in  Education      109 

subordinate  to  this  revelation.  Everything  else 
should  be  a  means,  this  is  the  end.  This  guidance 
IS  detailed,  adequate,  faithful.  It  speaks  successively 
through  instinct,  desire,  ambition,  talent,  intuition, 
genius.  It  applies  to  every  possible  situation.  It 
exists  for  every  soul.  But  in  the  majority  it  is 
ignored,  misunderstood,  and  opposed.  Hundreds 
of  deflecting  tendencies  lead  the  mind  away  from  it 
into  pride,  the  glory  of  mere  learning,  egotism,  and 
the  rest. 

A  man  must  believe  in  himself  if  he  is  to  turn  his 
educational  experiment  to  spiritual  account.  He 
must  work  out  every  problem  for  himself.  He  must 
be  as  free  from  authorities,  whether  books,  teachers, 
or  organisations,  all  of  which  he  may  make  use  of, 
as  he  is  free  from  the  bondages  which  conventional 
society  seeks  to  impose. 

Thus  education  becomes  art  for  art's  sake,  work 
for  work's  sake,  the  pursuit  of  truth  wherever  it 
may  lead.  First,  last,  and  always  it  is  an  experi- 
ment. It  is  illustrated  by  the  life  of  the  painter 
who  is  ever  sketching  and  altering,  to  express  a 
nobler  ideal.  It  is  seen  in  the  striving  of  the  musi- 
cian to  express  the  harmonies  and  melodies  of 
sound ;  in  the  ambition  of  the  poet,  tirelessly  work- 
ing to  attain  perfection  of  form. 

The  critic  now  insists  that  such  an  experinient 
tends  to  create  mere  individualists.  Not  if  it  be 
thorough.  Not  if  a  man  be  truly  an  artist,  really 
a  scholar,  a  truth-seeker,  one  who  knows  his  own 
mind  and  understands  the  laws  of  the  universe. 


no     An  Experiment  in  Education 

Emerson  says:  **  We  arrive  at  virtue  by  taking 
its  direction  instead  of  imposing  ours/*  **  Obedi- 
ence alone  gives  the  right  to  command.**  Thus 
education  is  adjustment  between  the  individual  and 
his  environment,  turning  from  side  to  side,  from 
point  to  point,  perspective  to  perspective.  It  is  a 
continual  weighing  and  testing,  the  development  of 
self  yet  its  correction,  a  balance  between  the  sub- 
jective and  the  social  consciousness.  It  must  con- 
stantly be  tempered  by  constructive  criticism,  and 
tested  by  controversy.  All  this  is  a  part  of  the 
experiment.  And  the  adjustment  differs  in  every 
case. 

The  cultivation  of  sympathy  is  as  important  as  the 
preservation  of  spontaneity.  Education  is  incom- 
plete nowadays  unless  it  shows  how  the  under  half 
lives.  The  **  constructive  individuality**  which  is 
its  aim,  according  to  David  Starr  Jordan,^  is  the 
outcome  of  many  tendencies,  physical,  intellectual, 
moral,  social,  and  spiritual.  It  is  a  balance  between 
heart  and  head.  It  supplements  analysis  by  syn- 
thesis at  that  point  where  scepticism  becomes  merely 
negative.  It  forgets  not  love.  It  remembers  that 
some  things  in  life  are  meant  to  be  enjoyed  only. 
Poetry  and  music  hold  a  permanent  place  in  which 
scientific  zeal  is  never  permitted  coldly  to  intrude. 
It  is  loyal  to  that  which  is  essentially  feminine  and 
that  which  is  distinctively  masculine.  In  a  word,  it 
produces  a  man  or  a  woman. 

The  grand  result,  then,  of  our  experiment  is  to 

^  Conservative  Review ^  November,  1899. 


An  Experiment  in  Education      1 1 1 

enable  a  man  so  to  interpret  his  individual  experi- 
ence and  so  to  apply  it,  that  his  existence  in  the 
world  shall  be  justified,  that  he  shall  be  an  honour 
.both  to  God  and  to  man. 

In  the  light  of  this  ideal,  we  may  restate  our 
definition  of  education  as,  the  recognition  of  and  co- 
operation with  the  immanent  Spirit,  on  all  planes  of 
existence,  as  it  is  revealed  through  the  individual 
consciousness  of  man.  Or,  we  may  define  it  as  the 
training  of  the  individual  powers  to  the  full,  that 
through  their  progressive  development  the  unique 
relation  of  each  soul  to  God,  nature,  and  society 
may  find  adequate  expression.  Thus  defined,  edu- 
cation is  lifted  out  of  the  limited  sphere  in  which  it 
has  so  long  been  confined;  and  dignified,  yes,  made 
truly  possible,  by  intimate  association  with  the 
Highest  in  life. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  EXPRESSION  OF  THE   SPIRIT 

There  is  only  one  thing  better  than  tradition,  and  that  is  the  orig- 
inal and  eternal  life  out  of  which  tradition  takes  its  rise. — Lowell. 

IT  IS  the  fate  of  every  idealist  to  be  misunderstood. 
He  sees  somewhat  which  all  men  shall  presently 
see,  but  just  because  his  thought  has  seized  a  pos- 
sibility which  lies  beyond  present  attainment,  be- 
cause he  lacks  the  rational  terms  wherewith  to  clothe 
his  ideals,  he  is  deemed  visionary  and  impractical, 
when  in  reality  his  doctrine  is  even  more  practical 
than  the  most  common-sense  ideas  at  present  in 
vogue. 

Such  an  ideal  is  now  taking  shape  in  the  minds  of 
some  of  our  leading  educators.  Its  aim  is  the  ex- 
pression of  the  soul  quality  in  music,  literature,  and 
art.  Not  that  this  is  essentially  a  new  ideal,  but 
that  its  advocates  are  seeking  to  make  a  great  step 
in  advance,  to  make  the  expression  of  the  Spirit  a 
more  self-conscious  pursuit.  The  more  strenuous 
the  endeavour  to  advance,  the  more  vague  the 
method  seems  to  become.  Yet  vague  as  it  is,  one 
feels  that  there  is  a  beauty  here  which  indescribably 
surpasses  the  methods  which  it  is  displacing. 

112 


The  Expression  of  the  Spirit      113 

In  the  world  of  music,  for  example,  there  are 
those  who  merely  teach  technique,  whose  perform- 
ances are  marvels  of  technical  skill,  and  those,  on 
the  other  hand,  who  play  and  sing  from  the  soul. 
One  cannot  tell  definitely  what  is  lacking  in  the 
former  class.  But  there  is  a  quality  which  they  do 
not  possess.  And  so  with  all  the  technique  which 
the  talented  can  command  there  is  absent  that 
subtle  somewhat  without  which  music  is  scarcely 
musical. 

In  the  intellectual  world  the  contrast  is  equally 
striking.  The  educated  man  is,  of  course,  eager  to 
add  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge,  to  make  new 
inventions  and  discoveries.  All  this  is  legitimate, 
and  there  must  be  manual  and  intellectual  training 
to  meet  these  demands.  In  a  certain  sense  educa- 
tion, strictly  so-called,  will  always  be  intellectual. 
I  am  not  pleading  for  a  setting  aside  of  these  prac- 
tical demands,  nor  am  I  asking  that  schools  and  col- 
leges become  the  leading  centres  of  religion.  The 
plea  is  rather  for  the  purification  and  enlargement 
of  these  purposes  and  methods,  that  they  may  be 
thoroughly  in  keeping  with  the  ideals  of  the  Spirit. 

Yet  what  avails  the  intellect  without  that  training 
which,  supplementing  it,  makes  all  technical  power 
the  instrument  of  the  higher  self  ?  The  training  of 
the  intellect  is,  as  we  have  noted  again  and  again, 
but  one  among  many  kinds  of  discipline,  all  of 
which  must  have  proper  consideration.  Since  edu- 
cation is  the  development  of  all  the  powers  for  the 
purposes  of  adequate  self-expression,  since  it  is  based 


114     The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 

on  self-knowledge  and  self-mastery,  there  must  be 
discipline  of  all  the  tendencies  in  body  and  mind. 
The  scholar  who  is  still  in  subjection  to  tobacco 
is  not  fully  a  scholar.  The  teacher  who  is  not  mas- 
ter of  his  appetites  is  not  yet  worthy  of  imitation. 
Man  is  not  half-trained  if  he  lacks  that  health  which 
freedom  from  vice,  crowned  by  the  attainment  of 
all-round  self-possession,  alone  can  give.  And  the 
higher  ideal  which  I  am  now  suggesting  does  not 
even  begin  to  be  realised  until  this  purity  of  life, 
this  freedom  from  stimulants,  vices,  and  the  habits 
of  the  merely  intellectual  man,  becomes  the  foremost 
characteristic  of  daily  life. 

All  the  training  one  may  possibly  have,  all  the 
intellect,  all  the  talent,  the  self-knowledge,  the 
technical  skill,  all  the  self-conscious  powers  one  may 
possess,  are  secondary  to  that  grander  purpose  to 
which  these  must  be  consecrated  if  one  desires  to  be 
truly  an  artist,  truly  an  orator  or  musician.  It  is  as 
if,  having  spent  years  and  years  in  training  the 
organism  one  should  say,  in  all  humility,  **  I  dedi- 
cate myself  to  thee,  O  Spirit,  whence  springs  all  life 
and  power;  do  with  them,  do  with  me,  what  thou 
wilt.  Henceforth  I  will  live  and  think  for  the  glory 
of  the  whole,  for  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the 
great  universal.'' 

Thus  does  the  true  artist,  the  real  lover  of  truth, 
beauty,  and  virtue,  consecrate  himself  that  he  may 
become  an  instrument  of  divine  revelation.  He 
seeks  oneness  with  that  invisible  presence  which 
ever  surrounds  the  soul,  that  he  may  first  of  all 


The  Expression  of  the  Spirit      1 1 5 

assimilate  from  the  Spirit,  that  he  may  be  imbued 
afresh  with  that  creative  life  whence  springs  all  that 
is  original  and  inspiring  in  the  world.  The  spiritual 
method  is  thus  confessedly  an  emulation  of  the 
divine  method  of  creation. 

The  method  of  God,  so  far  as  we  may  read  it  in 
the  inner  history  of  man,  is  first  the  spirit,  then  the 
form ;  first  the  involution  about  which  we  hear  so 
little,  then  the  evolution  about  which  we  read  so 
much.  The  highest  human  method  is  therefore 
adaptation  to  this  progressive  quickening  of  God, 
and  harmony  with  its  resultant  unfolding.  If  the 
Spirit  is  constantly  welling  into  consciousness 
through  a  new  moment,  the  ideal  is,  of  course,  to 
penetrate  as  near  as  possible  to  the  fountain  head  of 
the  Spirit,  fully  and  freely  to  voice  that  revelation 
even  though  its  message  differs  from  that  of  all  pre- 
vious experiences.  It  is  this  quickening,  creative 
life  which  is  the  highest  source  of  the  originality  for 
which  we  have  contended  in  the  foregoing  chapter, 
the  surest  guide  to  genius,  so  far  as  the  cultivation 
of  genius  comes  within  the  province  of  self-con- 
sciousness. 

It  has  been  obvious  throughout  that  the  free  ex- 
pression of  this  spontaneous  revelation  is  greatly 
hindered  by  formal  plans,  set  programmes,  and  pre- 
arrangements.  Ideally,  both  the  speaker  and  the 
writer   should  be  committed  only  to  the  Spirit. 

At  the  risk  of  seeming  to  make  common  the  sacred 
and  poetical,  I  venture  the  suggestion  that  with  this 
dedication  of  self  to  **  the  glory  of  the  whole,"  one 


ii6     The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 

should  put  the  mind  in  a  special  mood,  lifting  the 
soul  to  the  plane  of  the  universal  in  an  attitude  of 
worship  or  prayer.  Rise  above  yourself,  rise  above 
your  anticipated  audience  to  that  height  where,  one 
in  consciousness  with  the  Spirit,  your  entire  being 
is  offered  in  deepest  humility  to  the  Father. 

Thus,  by  the  power  of  association,  this  form  of 
words,  **  for  the  glory  of  the  whole,**  or  a  similar 
phrase,  will  at  any  time  serve  to  put  the  mind  into 
the  receptive  mood.  Such  a  phrase  is  a  powerful 
suggestion,  acting  upon  the  subconscious  mind  with 
searching,  prayerful  life,  and  presently  bringing 
forth  results  limited  in  power  only  by  the  earnest- 
ness of  the  consecrated  appeal.  The  mind  is  thus 
put  in  touch  with  the  undifferentiated  Spirit,  when 
it  is  not  yet  either  distinctively  love  or  reason, 
beauty,  harmony,  or  truth,  but  all  of  these.  Then 
the  Spirit  will  voice  itself  in  melody  or  harmony,  as 
love,  reason,  truth,  all  that  is  beautiful,  according 
to  the  temperament  of  the  listener. 

The  close  observer  will  detect  this  receptive  wait- 
ing on  the  part  of  the  great  artist,  or  the  speaker 
who  expresses  the  Spirit.  More  and  more  this  ideal 
is  taking  hold  of  the  growing  minds  of  the  day.  Sing- 
ing teachers  are  aiding  their  pupils  to  voice  the  soul, 
and  pianists  are  discarding  conventional  methods 
and  seeking  to  voice  the  inner  spiritual  mood. 

No  one  will  be  troubled  by  unpleasant  self-con- 
sciousness and  shyness  who  rises  to  the  universal 
plane.  Here  all  is  for  the  Spirit,  and  there  is  no 
time  to  think  of  self.     The  thought  of  self  belongs 


The  Expression  of  the  Spirit      1 1 7 

to  the  hours  and  days  of  training,  when  one  neces- 
sarily delves  deeply  into  temperament,  laws,  and 
principles.  But  when  the  hour  of  performance 
arrives  the  time  is  too  sacred  to  spend  in  thinking 
what  people  will  say,  in  fear  lest  one  may  not  be 
seen  or  heard  to  good  advantage. 

Perfect  wisdom,  love,  beauty,  harmony,  and  all 
the  virtues  spring  from  this  creative  world  of  the 
unvoiced  Spirit.  If  a  man  would  be  great,  let  him 
listen  here.  If  a  man  would  progress,  let  him  re- 
turn here  day  by  day  as  eagerly  as  if  he  had  never 
come  before.  If  a  man's  life  is  thus  dedicated  to 
the  expression  of  these  inmost  promptings,  he  is 
likely  at  any  time  to  become  the  recipient  of  ideas 
of  which  he  knew  almost  nothing  until  they  took 
shape  in  words  under  his  pen,  or  in  the  act  of  ad- 
dressing an  audience. 

All  whose  desire  is  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of 
the  human  mind  are  conscious  at  times  that  this 
creative  world  is  larger  than  their  fullest  and  pro- 
foundest  consciousness.  Soar  as  we  may  into  the 
realms  of  speculation,  pursue  our  thought  as  we  will 
in  the  endeavour  to  chain  it  fast  in  language  which 
everyone  shall  understand,  an  undefined,  unword- 
able  residuum  forever  eludes  us.  We  seem  like  one 
encased  in  a  shell,  wherein  we  may  study  and  incul- 
cate our  theory  as  we  wish,  but  beyond  which  we 
never  go  except  in  the  vaguest  way.  In  these  vague 
moments — vague  because  they  are  unwordable  vis- 
ions— we  realise  the  futility  of  mere  speculation.  If 
we  could  once  break  through  the  shell  of  individual 


ii8     The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 

consciousness,  our  whole  thought  would  be  in- 
stantly changed  by  the  grander  light  from  this  realm 
of  the  creative  Spirit  which  is  beyond  yet  within 
all  forms,  all  particular  modes  of  manifestation. 

Yet  it  is  important  to  remember  that  many  of  the 
ideas  which  spring  suddenly  from  this  creative  realm 
—  given  us  by  spirits,  as  some  think  —  are  self-sug- 
gestions. We  are  reading  a  paper  or  listening  to  a 
friend,  and  an  idea  occurs  to  us  which  we  would 
like  to  realise,  but  which  we  dismiss  so  quickly  that 
all  remembrance  of  it  is  lost.  But  our  deeper  self 
remembers  it;  and  in  due  time  the  idea  comes  forth 
full-fledged  from  the  creative  world,  apparently  new, 
and  causing  us  to  wonder  whence  it  came.  It  is 
probable  that  all  merely  human  thought  is  governed 
by  suggestion  in  some  form.  The  impulses  which 
we  feel  that  we  must  obey,  and  which  seem  like  a 
separate  mind  commanding  us,  are  only  a  suburban 
portion  of  ourselves,  the  richest  and  noblest  portion 
of  which  is  this  subconscious  creative  receptivity, 
which  in  reality  is  the  chief  organ  of  all  inspiration. 

As  we  have  noted  in  a  foregoing  chapter,  there 
are  days  when  the  mind  is  in  a  constructive  mood, 
when  every  thought  is  valuable,  when  the  right  word 
eagerly  comes  to  fit  the  right  place.  No  analysis 
of  ours  can  fully  account  for  these  days.  The  utmost 
we  can  say  is  that  we  supplied  the  subconscious 
mind  with  part  of  the  data  and  sent  out  a  prayer 
for  light,  but  that  the  synthetic  process  is  as  mys- 
terious as  the  combination  of  powers  and  substances 
known  as  physical  life.     The  mind  marvels  at  its 


The  Expression  of  the  Spirit      119 

own  powers  on  such  days.  It  is  for  the  time  being 
an  instrument  of  the  creative  genius,  and  all  else  is 
secondary  to  the  act  of  transformation  from  spirit 
to  form,  from  fragmentary  ideas  and  facts  to 
inductive  result. 

Nevertheless,  there  are  times  when  the  best  way 
to  clarify  one*s  ideas  for  literary  purposes  is  to  ex- 
press them  to  another  in  conversation,  for  in  this 
way  one  discovers  the  treasured  resources  of  creative 
subconsciousness.  As  man  is  a  social  being,  his 
powers  work  to  their  full  when  with  his  fellows,  or 
at  least  when  preparing  to  address  or  help  his  fel- 
lows. One  interview  or  discussion  with  an  in- 
terested listener  will  oftentimes  furnish  material  for 
an  entire  essay  or  chapter.  Oftentimes  one  does 
not  know  what  to  believe  on  a  certain  subject  until 
asked  to  state  one's  views.  Then  the  slumbering 
subconscious  becomes  conscious,  and  one  is  sur- 
prised to  find  the  mind  in  possession  of  a  well- 
matured  doctrine. 

One  should  make  at  least  an  abstract  of  the  dis- 
cussion immediately  afterward.  Strike  while  the 
iron  is  hot.  Write  while  you  are  most  interested. 
And  write  at  a  heat,  so  to  speak.  That  is,  write 
first  to  express  the  thought,  then  criticise  the  Eng- 
lish at  your  leisure.  Have  pencil  and  paper  always 
with  you,  that  no  important  idea  may  escape. 
Make  note  of  an  idea,  even  if  it  be  but  a  single 
sentence.  The  chances  are  that  this  sentence  will 
suggest  another,  and  that  a  third,  until  you  have 
produced  several  paragraphs. 


1 20     The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  he  who  writes  well 
must  write  much.  The  young  writer  should  not  be 
discouraged  if  all  of  his  earliest  productions  find 
their  way  into  the  waste-basket.  There  must  be  a 
survival  of  the  fittest  in  the  literary  world ;  and,  if 
many  notes  and  essays  are  destroyed  before  anyone 
but  their  author  has  read  them,  they  will  at  least 
serve  their  purpose  as  practice  work. 

It  is  well,  even  after  college  days,  to  keep  a  jour- 
nal in  which  notes  on  a  great  variety  of  subjects  may 
be  made.  If  the  notes  are  of  no  apparent  value  at 
the  time,  a  time  may  come  when  they  will  fit  in 
admirably  with  later  thoughts.  Notes  made  at  in- 
tervals of  many  months  or  years  are  found  to  belong 
together,  and  those  whose  minds  work  inductively 
will  often  discover  unexpected  wealth  in  this  ac- 
cumulated material.  It  is  frequently  the  latest 
and  profoundest  thought  which  unifies  all  the 
rest. 

All  manuscripts  should  be  put  away  to  "  season.*'  * 
After  a  few  weeks  or  months  have  elapsed,  the  mind 
will  readily  see  what  to  add  and  what  to  strike  out, 
what  is  written  in  the  Spirit  and  what  is  not.  Emer- 
son is  reported  to  have  said  that  the  secret  of  his 
style  was  **  striking  out.*'  One  does  not  like  to 
sacrifice  fine-sounding  phrases  immediately  after 
they  are  written.  But,  when  the  pen  has  cooled, 
one's  courage  is  stronger. 

The  best  writing  is  sometimes  that  which  is  most 

*  Tennyson  is  said  to  have  put  some  of  his  poems  aside  for  ten 
years  of  seasoning. 


The  Expression  of  the  Spirit      1 2 1 

easily  written.  Commit  your  thought  to  the  sub- 
conscious mind.  Let  it  germinate,  and  await  its 
maturity.  You  will  then  produce  a  better  piece  of 
work  than  by  sheer  labour.  The  subconscious  mind 
has  a  power  of  combining  even  dry  facts  in  a  man- 
ner which  the  conscious  mind  can  seldom  equal.  It 
is  therefore  one  of  the  secrets  of  successful  literary 
work  to  study  the  workings  of  the  subconscious 
mind  and  to  rely  upon  it  to  perform  a  large  share  of 
the  toil. 

The  conventional  method  of  literary  production 
is  to  consult  authorities,  copy  quotations,  ask  ad- 
vice, compel  the  brain  to  think  by  reasoning  from 
premises  to  conclusions,  arrange  the  data  under 
various  heads,  divisions,  and  subdivisions,  then 
work  the  brain,  revise,  and  rewrite.  The  result  is 
fairly  satisfactory,  but  it  possesses  little  originality. 

In  the  creative  subconscious  process,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  is  gradual  assimilation  of  all  that  is 
thought  day  by  day,  and  trustful  brooding  over  the 
subject  at  hand.  Then  a  day  comes  when  one 
awakens  with  a  strong  desire  to  write  upon  that 
specific  theme.  The  essay  comes  forth  out  of  a  full 
mind.  It  is  original.  It  possesses  fresh  life.  All 
that  one  knows  has  been  worked  in.  Passages  in 
some  forgotten  journal,  or  stray  notes  made  at  dif- 
ferent times,  are  found  to  belong  with  it.  And  lo 
and  behold !  it  is  as  rational,  as  systematic  as  though 
it  had  been  consciously  arranged  under  various  heads 
and  subdivisions.  Better  still,  it  possesses  that 
carrying  power  which  only  the  Spirit  can  impart. 


122     The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 

In  the  same  way,  the  subconscious  mind  prepares 
for  an  extemporaneous  address.  Many  speakers 
find  that  they  must  read  their  essays  and  lectures 
at  first.  As  they  become  more  accustomed  to 
speaking,  brief  notes  only  are  required.  After  a 
time  the  leading  points,  impressed  on  the  mind 
shortly  before,  are  sufficient.  Finally,  when  the 
subconscious  mind  is  trained  so  that  all  this  is  per- 
formed without  effort,  the  address  flows  out  of  a  full 
mind,  its  leading  ideas  combined  by  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion. 

Authorities  differ  in  regard  to  the  merits  of  ex- 
tempore speaking.  Yet  to  be  true  to  the  inspirations 
of  the  Spirit,  one  must  speak  only  when,  and  only 
as  long  as,  the  soul  is  moved.  Write  only  when  you 
have  something  to  say,  when  you  are  fully  in  the 
mood.  If  the  mood  changes  ere  the  composition  be 
finished,  wait  until  the  moving  comes  again.  If 
you  awaken  in  the  morning  with  no  desire  to  write 
on  the  same  theme  which  absorbed  you  the  day  be- 
fore, give  yourself  to  the  new  mood.  It  is  of  little 
avail  to  write  on  one  subject  while  another  continu- 
ally and  with  greater  interest  constantly  wells  up 
from  the  subconscious. 

Write  for  truth's  sake,  because  you  have  some- 
thing to  say.  Do  not  **  descend  to  meet  '*  a  par- 
ticular audience,  or  write  with  a  certain  critic  in 
mind.     Write,  if  for  anyone,  for  the  average  reader.^ 

*  Many  of  the  suggestions  given  in  Chapter  XI.  also  apply  to  lit- 
erary composition,  and  the  standards  of  Chapter  XII.  are  literary 
tests. 


\\5  »^  "  ■•    ' 

'oFTrt£ 

or     ,^j^ 

The  Expressiaa^£yt|^^i«pirit      123 

Make  notes  of  ideas  at  once,  even  if  important 
matters  must  be  put  aside  until  you  register  your 
impression.  Ideas  are  more  important  than  things, 
and  it  is  worth  while  to  secure  them  as  they  pass. 
Our  impressions  are  most  valuable  when  they  are 
most  vivid. 

Do  not  write  too  long  at  a  time.  Discover  your 
best  hours  for  work,  and  permit  no  serious  interrup- 
tion. But  devote  the  remainder  of  the  day  to  other 
interests,  to  books,  people,  and  out-of-door  exercise. 
The  morning  hours  are  probably  the  sanest  hours 
for  literary  work.  Many  find  them  the  hours  when 
one  may  work  with  least  fatigue.  But  the  inspira- 
tion for  the  morning's  work  often  comes  the  evening 
before. 

Stop  when  you  come  to  the  end,  and  do  not  spin 
out  to  fill  space.  Anti-climaxes  should  not  see  the 
light  in  print.  Do  not  pad  or  permit  redundancies 
to  pass.  Remember  that  thousands  of  authors 
write  verbosely,  but  only  a  few  as  Emerson  wrote. 

It  is  well  to  choose  Emerson  as  a  model  of  style, 
in  connection  with  careful  reading  of  authors  who, 
like  Lowell  or  Addison,  wrote  a  fuller  style.  James 
Martineau  is  a  master  of  smooth-flowing  style.  His 
sentences  are  artistic  marvels,  very  suggestive  from 
the  point  of  view  of  choice  and  variety  of  words. 
It  is  advisable  also  to  read  the  great  poets,  both  as 
masters  of  brevity  and  in  order  to  enlarge  one's 
vocabulary. 

Spare  no  pains  to  attain  a  good  style.  It  is  worth 
all  time  spent  upon  them  to  polish  one's  manuscripts 


124     The  Expression  of  the  Spirit 

before  they  are  submitted  to  a  printer.  A  manu- 
script should  be  put  into  its  final  form  before  it  is 
set  in  type ;  for  typographical  changes  are  not  only 
expensive,  but  mar  the  beauty  of  a  composition. 

Do  not  write  primarily  for  money  if  you  would  do 
your  best  work.  Money  will  come  if  you  have  really 
said  something.   If  you  have  not,  you  do  not  want  it. 

Do  not  hasten  into  print.  Wait  as  long  as  you  can. 
Keep  out  of  fiction  if  possible.  It  is  said  that  every 
writer  thinks  he  can  write  a  novel,  but  many  cannot. 

If  you  have  planned  a  book,  let  the  plan  subcon- 
sciously season.  If  you  have  written  one,  lay  it 
aside  and  note  the  result.  Do  not  repeat  in  a 
second  book  what  you  said  in  the  first.  It  will  lack 
inspiration.  Let  each  book  stand  on  its  own  feet, 
as  if  you  had  not  produced  another.  Do  not  lean  on 
the  reputation  earned  by  your  most  popular  book. 
Quote  seldom.     Give  credit  for  borrowed  ideas. 

I  have  drawn  my  illustrations  chiefly  from  the  art 
of  literary  production.  But  so  far  as  the  above 
principles  are  true  they  apply,  with  adaptation,  to 
all  arts.  All  who  manifest  the  Spirit  may  become 
artists  if  they  will.  It  is  almost  as  essential  to  fin- 
ish a  literary  phrase  rhythmically  as  to  take  time 
to  complete  a  musical  phrase.  Discordant  word 
phrases  are  less  noticeable  perhaps,  but  they  are  as 
quickly  detected  by  an  expert  as  discord  in  music. 
The  great  singer  cherishes  her  voice  as  a  divine  gift. 
So  should  all  art  be  grounded  in  the  Spirit,  taking 
its  cue  in  minutest  detail  from  that  inner  guidance 
which  is  the  choicest  possession  of  the  soul. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

AN   IDEAL   SUMMER   CONFERENCE 

To  act  now,  not  according  to  our  poor  human  statutes  and  con- 
ventions, but  according  to  the  higher  perfect  law  that  we  know  only 
within  our  own  breast ;  to  live  here  as  the  citizen  of  an  ideal  king- 
dom— that,  it  seems  to  me,  were  the  proudest  distinction  a  man 
could  crave. — W.  M.  Salter. 

AN  attractive  physical  environment — green  fields, 
hills,  running  streams,  or  a  lake,  and  a  grove 
of  pines. 

A  spiritual  centre  created  by  a  company  of  con- 
genial souls,  drawn  together  on  a  purely  impersonal 
basis,  in  search  of  truth,  the  Spirit. 

No  merely  formal  programme,  no  mere  isms,  no 
fads,  no  personality  worship,  no  exclusiveness,  no 
favouritism;  and  no  prejudicial  influence  supported 
by  those  whose  money  secures  a  hearing  for  favoured 
beliefs. 

A  cordial  invitation  to  all  who  are  attracted  to 
come,  either  to  speak  or  to  listen,  provided  they  are 
prompted  by  the  spirit  of  impartial  love  and  un- 
biassed research. 

No  restrictions  placed  upon  any  teacher  whose 
work  is  positive,  constructive,  universal. 

Impromptu   meetings   and  informal  discussions, 

125 


126    An  Ideal  Summer  Conference 

unfettered  by  a  predetermined  subject  or  pre- 
arranged plan,  participated  in  by  those  who  are 
drawn  together  in  the  Spirit. 

Occasional  discussions  conducted  by  those  who 
speak  from  the  Spirit,  for  the  better  understanding 
of  the  spiritual  realities  of  life,  the  spiritual  law,  and 
the  spiritual  method,  that  the  work  of  the  school 
may  be  kept  impersonal,  that  it  may  pursue  **  the 
strait  and  narrow  way,*'  avoiding  deviations  into 
occultism  and  negative  criticism. 

For  those  who  desire  it,  systematic  instruction  in 
the  fundamental  principles  of  universal  spiritual 
philosophy,  conducted  by  those  who  are  not  bound 
by  loyalty  to  any  particular  creed,  sect,  terminology, 
name,  organisation,  club,  church,  or  religion. 

Informal  discussion  of  manifold  practical  methods 
for  the  realisation  of  the  Spirit  in  all  departments  pf 
daily  life:  the  home,  marriage,  business,  the  care 
and  healing  of  the  sick,  society,  physical  culture, 
art,  science,  literature,  charity  work,  the  labour 
problem. 

Talks  with  teachers,  with  special  reference  to  the 
application  of  the  Spirit  in  education. 

Nature  studies  and  talks  with  children  in  regard 
to  the  laws  of  spiritual  creation. 

Talks  with  mothers  on  the  spiritual  creative  prin- 
ciple, prenatal  influence,  and  the  home  life. 

Philosophical  talks  for  authors,  thinkers,  clergy- 
men, and  scientific  men. 

Daily  recreation  and  physical  exercise  for  all  who 
desire  it.     Daily  social  gathering. 


An  Ideal  Summer  Conference     127 

Occasional  gatherings  of  those  who  are  interested 
to  start  other  centres  on  a  similar  basis. 

One  ideal  in  all  departments :  the  expression  of 
the  Spirit  through  the  individual  soul. 

One  method:  the  law  of  spiritual  unfolding  from 
within. 

One  test :  harmony  with  the  inner  promptings  of 
the  Spirit,  unfettered  by  personal  leadership,  finan- 
cial considerations,  influential  advice,  or  personal 
ambition. 

As  a  practical  application  of  the  educational  and 
philosophical  ideal  of  this  book,  let  us  suppose  that 
a  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  development  of  a 
conference  such  as  above  suggested.  A  company 
of  people  is  assembled  under  a  group  of  pines  on  a 
beautiful  New  England  hillside,  overlooking  a  peace- 
ful valley.  There  are  clergymen,  teachers,  authors, 
artists,  musicians,  and  those  who  can  be  classified 
only  as  independent  truth-seekers.  No  one  has  been 
persuaded  to  come.  All  have  met  with  a  common 
interest  to  discuss  the  problems  of  life,  because  they 
have  accepted  the  above  ideal ;  and  no  one  has  come 
with  the  belief  that  his  particular  theory  is  the  truth, 
while  others  possess  only  opinions.  The  meeting  is 
the  first  of  the  session,  and,  as  we  take  our  places 
and  listen,  is  being  addressed  by  the  truth-seeker 
who  called  the  conference  together. 

•  •  •  .  •  • 

This  beautiful  new  day  is  typical,  my  friends,  of 
the  great  purpose  which  has  brought  us  together 


128    An  Ideal  Summer  Conference 

here,  beneath  the  pines  and  far  from  the  noise  and 
confusion  of  city  life.  The  earth  and  trees  have 
been  washed  clean  by  a  fresh  rain,  and  all  Nature 
welcomes  the  glad  sunlight  in  anticipation  of  the 
beauties  of  the  day.  And  so  we  assemble  here  to 
await  the  new  revelations  of  that  great  Light  which 
shines  upon  us  from  the  spiritual  world,  making 
ourselves  receptive  in  community  of  desire  and  one- 
ness of  spirit,  that  we  may  in  every  way  be  mutually 
helpful  as  we  study  the  laws  and  problems  of  the 
higher  education. 

I  have  not  called  you  here  in  a  spirit  of  leadership. 
As  every  soul  differs  from  all  other  souls,  and  as 
every  experience  is  rich  in  messages  of  its  own,  so 
the  point  of  view  of  each  one  present  necessarily 
differs  from  that  of  every  other.  We  are  here  to 
receive  the  light  each  may  throw  on  our  common 
problems.  The  truth,  we  believe,  is  so  large  and 
deep  that  it  somehow  needs  us  all.  Therefore,  all 
leadership  is  absorbed  in  and  transcended  by  the 
spirit  of  equality,  the  only  spirit  in  which  all  may 
meet  to  fullest  advantage. 

We  have  agreed  to  study  life  in  the  making;  it  is 
making  in  the  minds  of  each  of  us  to-day.  Let  us 
investigate,  then,  with  minds  as  open  and  free  as  if 
we  had  never  speculated,  surely  as  free  as  if  we  had 
received  no  theoretical  inheritance  from  the  past. 

My  only  thought  in  appointing  myself  the  first 
speaker  is  to  make  a  beginning,  which  must  of 
course  be  made  by  some  one,  in  the  formulation  of 
the  issues  before  us. 


An  Ideal  Summer  Conference     129 

Without  doubt,  all  the  reform  movements  of  the 
present  time  may  be  summed  up  under  the  head  of 
one  grand  ideal,  freedom.  The  higher  socialism 
seeks  to  set  free  the  masses,  and  grant  them  equality 
of  privilege.  Philanthropists  are  seeking  to  free 
mankind  from  bondage  to  vice  with  all  the  torments 
it  brings.  The  advocates  of  liberal  religion  are 
working  to  emancipate  man  from  superstition,  dog- 
matism, intolerance,  creed,  and  ritual.  Woman  is 
seeking  to  free  her  fellow-woman.  The  spiritual 
movement  of  the  time  is  toward  the  freedom  of  the 
soul,  liberty  and  equality  of  individuality;  it  is  set- 
ting people  free  from  doctors,  medicines,  diseases, 
and  all  the  burdens  of  fear,  ignorance  of  self,  and 
mental  servitude.  And  it  is  because  of  our  belief 
in  universal  freedom  that  each  of  us  has  come  here, 
where  we  have  thrown  aside  the  trammels  of  con- 
ventionality, to  commune  in  entire  liberty  of  spirit. 

Let  us  consider  to-day  some  of  the  reasons  for 
believing  in  universal  freedom  before  we  ask  how 
we  may  emancipate  humanity.  The  idea  of  free- 
dom, broadly  conceived,  is  in  itself  a  profound  in- 
spiration. Once  set  men  to  thinking  about  it,  and 
you  shall  see  abundant  results.  For  the  bondage  of 
bondages  is  ignorance,  lack  of  thought.  Courage 
to  think,  willingness  to  think,  lies  at  the  foundation 
of  all  growth.  And  all  that  we  need  to  do  in  order 
to  see  the  results  each  of  us  desires  coming  swiftly  to 
humanity  is  to  stimulate  philosophical  thought. 
That  is,  I  express  it  as  my  sincerest  conviction  that 
every  man,  if  he  takes  thought,  will  turn  his  powers 


I3CL    An  Ideal  Summer  Conference 

in  the  higher  direction,  for  humanity  instead  of  for 
self;  that  no  man  is  at  heart  perverse. 

As  we  look  over  these  smiling  fields  and  once 
more  ask  ourselves  the  great  question  of  the  ages, 
Whence  came  we  and  why  are  we  here  ?  we  realise 
that  there  are  many  of  us,  that  the  earth  is  large, 
and  the  answer  must  be  broad  and  inclusive.  I 
cannot  say,  as  I  ask  the  great  question,  that  the 
earth  is  mine,  because  I  am  not  the  first  occupant 
herey^  I  may  strive  with  my  brother,  and  imprison 
hinl ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  he  has  as  good  a 
right  as  I  to  enjoy  the  earth  and  to  ask  the  great 
question.  The  fact  even  that  the  few  have  for  ages 
made  war  upon  the  many  and  enslaved  them  does 
not  alter  the  eternal  fact  that  the  earth,  by  virtue 
of  our  co-existence,  is  the  home  of  all,  the  property 
of  all,  and  that  no  company  of  men  can  rightfully 
exclude  other  men  from  its  privileges. 

Approaching  the  problem  from  the  universal 
point  of  view,  therefore,  it  is  evident  that  every 
man,  woman,  and  child  has  a  right  to  life,  the  use 
of  the  land  and  that  which  sustains  life.  No  man, 
no  trust,  no  state,  no  nation,  has  a  right  to  deprive 
man  of  life,  liberty,  or  that  which  is  necessary  for 
the  sustenance  of  life.  The  land  and  its  products 
are  not  and  cannot  in  deepest  truth  become  the 
property  of  the  few. 

No  man  has  a  right  to  hold  slaves. 

No  parent  owns  a  child. 

No  husband  owns  a  wife. 

Every  man,  woman,  and  child,  of  whatever  nation 


An  Ideal  Summer  Confereace     ^31 

or  colour,  has  a  right  to  freddom  of  individuality  in 
thought  and  conduct. 

The  fact  that  such  freedom  is  not  universally  en- 
joyed to-day  is  no  argument  against  these  eternal 
principles.  The  selfish  greed  of  the  earth's  masters 
simply  indicates  that  the  significance  of  man's  pres- 
ence on  the  earth  among  countless  millions  possess- 
ing equal  rights  as  human  souls  has  not  been  fully 
apprehended.  And  so,  without  condemnation  of 
those  who  sin  against  it,  we  simply  state  the  law 
that 

If  a  man,  woman,  or  child  desires  the  freedom  of 
individuality,  not  all  the  nations  of  the  world  have 
the  right  to  take  it  away. 

If  a  people  desires  self-government,  no  nation  has 
a  right  to  deprive  it  of  liberty.  This  principle  ap- 
plies to  Orientals,  Africans,  and  all  so-called  inferior 
races. 

Wars  of  conquest  are  utterly  wrong.  All  war- 
fare is  barbaric.  The  civilised  nation  arbitrates, 
reasons. 

Government  should  be  by  the  whole  people. 

Matters  of  general  public  concern  should  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  people.  No  representatives  should 
have  the  right  to  plunge  a  nation  into  war. 

All  government  positions  should  be  filled  on  the 
basis  of  merit,  as  a  sacred  trust  from  the  whole 
people. 

If  any  persons  become  dangerous  to  the  com- 
munity, they  should  be  confined  only  so  far  as  the 
safety  of  the  community  demands,  not  deprived  of 


132     An  Ideal  Summer  Conference 

those  opportunities  which  make  for  self-development 
and  mastery  over  the  conditions  which  rendered 
coercion  necessary.  No  state  should  have  the  right 
to  commit  murder  under  the  guise  of  "  punishment." 

The  right  to  labour  and  enjoy  the  rewards  of 
labour  belongs  to  all.  Freedom  to  experiment  and 
develop  beyond  the  masses,  through  the  use  of 
greater  resources,  is  the  right  of  the  more  talented 
only  so  far  as  this  activity  contributes  to  or  does 
not  interfere  with  the  labour  of  others. 

Scenery  and  the  wonders  and  beauties  of  nature 
should  be  free  to  all ;  and  no  company  of  men,  even 
if  they  hold  **  deeds  *'  to  the  land,  have  a  right 
either  to  deprive  it  of  its  forests  or  other  beauties 
unless  by  the  consent  of  all  who  dwell  in  or  near  the 
region.  In  such  cases  it  is  supposed  that  beauty  is 
secondary  to  utility.  But,  generally  speaking,  any- 
thing which  renders  nature  attractive  to  man  is  to 
be  faithfully  preserved. 

The  resources  of  the  earth  rightfully  belong  to  all 
mankind,  without  monopoly  and  at  the  least  ex- 
pense. 

The  power  of  money  is  not  ultimate.  It  is  a 
medium  of  exchange  by  which  man  has  evolved  the 
unequal  social  conditions  of  to-day,  and  is  rightly 
used  only  when  taken  to  represent  the  least  expense 
at  which  articles  essential  to  our  common  develop- 
ment can  be  produced. 

The  products  of  the  earth,  of  manual  labour  and 
mental  toil,  were  intended  for  all  men.  They  have 
been  temporarily  used  as  means  to  business  ends 


An  Ideal  Summer  Conference     133 

only  because  man  has  been  largely  ignorant  of 
humane  ends. 

If  business,  social,  educational,  parental,  marital, 
and  other  relationships  interfere  with  the  develop- 
ment of  individuality,  they  are  so  far  wrong.  Man 
should  be  free  to  think  for  himself,  educate  himself, 
choose  his  occupation,  select  his  wife.  He  should 
grant  the  same  freedom  to  all  in  accordance  with 
one  moral  standard  for  both  sexes. 

The  home  life  should  be  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
individual  experiment  and  character. 

All  educational  facilities  should  be  open  to  the 
choice  of  those  who  care  to  use  them. 

The  highest  office  of  the  intellectual  teacher  is  to 
persuade  people  to  think  for  themselves. 

The  function  of  the  minister  is  to  inspire  the  un- 
trammelled worship  of  the  free  soul.  The  fetters 
now  imposed  in  the  name  of  religion  indicate  only 
the  ignorance  of  the  great  ideal  of  freedom  of  those 
who  impose  them. 

The  environment  of  earth,  society,  and  the  world 
of  mind  is  calculated  to  develop  to  the  full  the  in- 
dividuality of  each.  But  in  order  that  this  may  be, 
as  man  is  a  social  being,  there  must  be  recognition 
of  this  ideal  both  on  the  part  of  society  and  on  the 
part  of  the  individual.  For,  as  society  is  an  organ- 
ism, and  its  members  both  individually  incomplete 
and  socially  supplementary,  the  freedom  of  man, 
either  individually  or  collectively,  is  possible  only 
through  mutual  understanding  and  mutual  help. 

The  realisation  of  all  that  society  is  to  man  should 


134    An  Ideal  Summer  Conference 

make  him  profoundly  grateful,  as  his  presence  on 
earth  should  make  him  rejoice.  It  should  also 
inspire  that  earnest  work  of  emancipation  which, 
beginning  at  home,  should  extend  itself  to  one's 
immediate  associates,  then  spread  abroad  for  the 
benefit  of  all  mankind. 

The  individual  and  collective  emancipation  of 
humanity  being,  then,  the  real  meaning  of  all  the 
struggles  through  which  we  pass,  it  follows  that  the 
most  far-reaching  work  of  reform  is  that  which  most 
directly  brings  man  to  consciousness  of  his  privileges 
as  a  member  of  the  social  organism. 

What  is  needed  as  the  outcome  of  this  conference 
is  workers  who,  imbued  with  this  great  ideal  of 
social  liberty,  shall  do  everything  in  their  power  to 
awaken  mankind  to  a  knowledge  of  freedom. 

We  who  are  here  are  doubtless  bound  in  many 
ways,  and  I  who  speak  to  you  may  have  unwittingly 
insisted  upon  just  my  theory  of  freedom.  The  con- 
ference is  therefore  open  to  other  statements  of  the 
great  problem  before  us.  For  we  must  first  agree 
upon  the  ideal  before  we  can  consider  methods  for 
its  realisation. 

The  first  day's  session  is  closed  with  an  animated 
discussion  of  different  conceptions  of  freedom,  and 
the  difficulties  to  be  met  in  persuading  men  to  trans- 
mute the  selfish  spirit  of  monopoly  into  the  loftier 
spirit  of  altruism.  It  is  found  that  one  of  the  chief 
difficulties  is  this :  The  law  of  natural  evolution  is 
the  survival  of  the  strongest,  who  push  the  weakest 


An  Ideal  Summer  Conference     135 

to  the  wall.  The  Anglo-Saxon,  believing  himself 
the  superior  man,  thinks  he  is  carrying  out  his 
**  manifest  destiny,*'  the  work  of  nature,  by  con- 
quering the  lower  races,  unmindful  of  the  fact  that 
**  might  makes  right'*  is  only  the  law  of  animal 
man,  that  there  is  a  higher  law,  the  law  of  ethics 
and  the  Spirit.  The  discussion,  therefore,  points  to 
the  universal  quickening  of  ethical  thought  as  the 
panacea  for  the  ills  from  which  our  civilisation  now 
suffers,  the  wide  acceptance  of  the  great  precept, 
'*  Live  and  let  live." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   MINISTRY   OF  THE   SPIRIT 

When  I  watch  that  flowing  river  which,  out  of  regions  I  see  not, 
pours  for  a  season  its  streams  into  me,  I  see  that  I  am  a  pensioner  ; 
not  a  cause,  but  a  surprised  spectator  of  this  ethereal  water  ;  that  I 
desire  and  look  up,  and  put  myself  in  the  attitude  of  reception,  but 
from  some  alien  energy  the  visions  come. — Emerson. 

LET  us  suppose  that  our  summer  conference  has 
been  in  session  one  month.  All  phases  of  the 
social  question  have  been  under  discussion  and  many 
practical  remedies  have  been  proposed.  But  the 
time  has  come  when  the  question  in  all  hearts  is, 
Whence  shall  come  the  motive  power  which  is  to 
stir  humanity  to  knowledge  of  the  great  truths  thus 
far  agreed  upon  ?  It  is  Sunday,  and  the  members 
of  the  conference  are  assembled  beneath  the  pines 
in  worshipful  silence.  Scarcely  a  sound  breaks  the 
restful  stillness  as  the  speaker  approaches  who  is  to 
propose  the  first  answer  to  the  burning  question. 
The  speaker  takes  his  place,  then  rises  to  address 
the  conference,  standing  for  a  moment  or  two  in 
rapt  contemplation  before  opening  his  lips  to  speak. 
He  speaks  as  follows,  but  we  can  give  only  the 
words.     The  absorbed  attention  with  which  he  is 

136 


The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit        137 

heard  suggests  that  a  presence  is  felt  beyond  all 
power  of  words  to  describe. 

•  ••••• 

If  we  could  see  as  the  Spirit  sees,  if  we  could  see 
even  as  those  exalted  souls  regard  us  who  have  at- 
tained the  greater  heights  of  the  spiritual  world,  we 
should  doubtless  learn  that  a  wealth  of  wisdom,  a 
world  of  peace,  and  a  great  heart  of  love,  await  us ; 
but  we  are  too  active  to  receive.  Therefore  as  we 
meet  here  once  more  beneath  the  pines,  this  glad 
summer  day,  our  hearts  yearning  for  spiritual  life 
and  wisdom,  let  us  listen  as  we  never  listened  be- 
fore, in  community  of  spirit,  in  oneness  of  aspiration, 
with  renewed  dedication  to  the  promptings  and 
ideals  of  the  Spirit. 

Peace,  be  still !  Let  all  problems  rest  for  a  time. 
Let  all  anxiety  cease.  Be  not  so  eager.  Be  trust- 
ful, restful,  contemplative,  gradually  turning  in  con- 
sciousness beyond  all  that  troubles  the  heart  and 
disturbs  the  mind  to  that  abode  where  the  soul  feels 
its  oneness  with  eternity,  looking  before  and  after 
as  if  time  were  naught.  Become  centred  there. 
Live  and  breathe  in  that  purer  region.  Open  the 
entire  being  in  the  attitude  of  assimilative  listening. 
Peace,  be  still ! 

There  is  a  living  water  which  shall  quench  the 
thirst  of  the  soul.  There  is  a  living  food  whereof 
the  soul  may  eat  and  be  truly  fed.  All  about  us 
here  to-day,  in  and  around  every  heart  that  beats 
and  every  soul  that  thinks,  there  is  a  power,  a  wis- 
dom, a  love  ready  to  fill  and  to  guide  the  soul,  if 


138        The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit 

only  it  be  approached  in  that  childlike  attitude  of 
perfect  trust  which  opens  the  faculties  and  prepares 
the  way  for  its  coming. 

By  cultivating  peace,  serenity,  receptivity,  by 
turning  day  by  day  to  the  one  source  whence  all 
power  springs,  each  of  us  may  become  a  centre  of 
distribution  of  spiritual  life  so  that  we  may  carry  it 
to  the  sorrowing  and  the  afflicted,  to  the  ignorant 
and  the  darkened  who  cannot  see,  each  of  us  may 
give  that  food  which  nourishes  and  that  water 
which  quenches.  But  each  must  say,  at  least  in 
spirit,  as  he  enters  the  eternal  abode  to  be  filled 
with  this  quickening  power :  Not  as  I  will,  but  as 
thou  wilt,  O  Father !  Of  myself  I  know  not.  Thou 
knowest.  I  leave  all.  I  offer  all.  I  am  willing  to 
endure  all.  Only  quicken  and  guide  me,  that  I 
may  be  in  deepest  truth  thy  holy  messenger. 

To  possess  and  to  manifest  this  spiritual  power — 
this,  my  friends,  is  the  solution  of  the  problems  we 
consider  here.  There  is  no  need  to  speculate.  It 
is  futile  to  ask  how  the  churches  shall  be  filled,  if 
you  continue  to  cling  to  forms  and  ceremonies.  It 
is  of  little  avail  to  ask  how  missionary  and  charity 
work  shall  become  truly  effectual,  so  long  as  you 
are  unwilling  to  abandon  pet  theories  and  methods. 
There  is  but  one  way  to  meet  all  the  demands  of 
the  thousands  who  are  now  dissatisfied ;  and  that  is, 
to  become  ministers  of  the  Spirit.  The  people  are 
hungry,  and  must  be  fed.  If  you  do  not  abandon 
all  and  go  where  that  cometh  which  feedeth  all,  you 
must  see  your  occupations  passing  from  you,  while 


The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit         139 

others  shall  be  raised  up  who  will  utter  what  you 
do  not  dare. 

The  minister  of  the  future  will  be  one  who,  first 
having  attained  the  spiritual  plane,  has  the  courage 
to  abandon  himself  to  the  spontaneous  upwellings 
of  the  Spirit.  He  must  speak  for  the  Spirit,  not  for 
the  congregation.  If  not  moved  to  make  a  prayer 
or  preach  a  sermon,  let  him  declare  the  presence  of 
the  Spirit  as  seems  most  fitting  at  the  time.  If  he 
can  no  longer  read  the  service  or  repeat  the  creed, 
let  these  pass. 

There  is  a  prayer  which  no  words  can  utter,  there 
is  a  sermon  no  lips  can  preach,  a  service  which  never 
assumed  a  visible  form.  It  is  the  aspiration  of  the 
soul,  the  power  of  a  dedicated  life,  the  presence  of 
quickening  love.  When  that  power  speaks  through 
the  soul,  although  it  finds  no  utterance  in  words,  it 
reaches  far  and  wide.  When  that  power  speaks,  all 
men  and  women,  of  whatever  creed,  listen.  When 
that  power  speaks,  there  is  no  question  in  regard  to 
the  effect  of  one*s  doctrine,  no  doubt  whether  one 
shall  be  provided  with  daily  bread.  Obstacles  van- 
ish, persecution  ceases,  critics  are  silenced,  all  the 
world  gives  ear.  For,  when  that  power  speaks,  the 
Spirit  speaks. 

My  friends,  the  Spirit  really  lives.  It  is  here.  It 
knows  our  needs.  It  can  conquer  all  things.  Only 
seek  it.  Only  dedicate  your  souls  to  its  spontaneous 
revelation. 

We  must  live  a  simple  life  if  we  would  be  thus 
quickened.     There  must  be  ample  time  for  unpre- 


HO        The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit 

meditated  listening.  There  must  be  measureless 
unselfishness. 

The  singer,  listening  to  the  Spirit  before  he  sings, 
may  pour  forth  in  soulful  song  that  transcendent 
harmony  which  speaks  to  the  heart.  The  poet  may 
suggest  its  presence  in  his  verse.  The  author, 
writing  only  when  the  Spirit  moves,  will  find  that  a 
greater  than  he  has  written.  The  speaker,  turning 
aside  from  his  audience  in  renewed  dedication,  will 
lose  all  self-consciousness,  and  find  that  his  hearers 
are  touched  where  no  foresight  of  his  could  have 
touched  them.  The  clergyman,  casting  aside  his 
dogmas,  will  be  moved  to  utter  those  sweet  mes- 
sages of  peace  which  really  comfort  the  bereaved 
heart.  The  artist  may  paint  its  beauties.  The 
pianist  may  play  as  never  master  of  technique  has 
played.  And,  noblest  of  all,  the  father  and  mother 
may  make  the  home  a  Christ  home,  a  centre  of  that 
creative  love  whence  springs  a  nobler  generation. 

Each  of  you  has  some  gift  like  those  I  have 
named.  Each  of  you  has  a  message  for  the  world. 
Reverence  that  gift,  believe  in  that  message,  then 
trust  all  else  to  the  Father.  You  are  trying  to 
solve  that  which  is  insoluble  while  you  regard  your 
work  from  the  merely  human  point  of  view.  Your 
hearts  are  touched  with  pity ;  yet  you  dwell  on  the 
conditions,  and  not  on  the  end  to  be  attained, 
through  the  sufferings  of  the  world.  One  alone 
knows  the  way.  Through  spiritual  inspiration  does 
he  alone  declare  it.  Spiritual  ends  are  highest. 
Spiritual  ideals  triumph  over  all.     What  is  spiritual 


The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit         141 

must  ever  be  spiritually  discerned.  Therefore  make 
the  supreme  leap  of  faith,  even  where  all  the  way  is 
dark. 

For  our  souls  are  bathed  in  a  spiritual  atmos- 
phere: a  spiritual  sunlight  falls  upon  them.  Here 
and  now  —  yes,  truly,  here,  in  this  living  present — 
we  dwell  in  the  spiritual  world.  There  is  a  realm  in 
which  the  Spirit  is  directly  manifested,  without  the 
media  to  which  we  are  accustomed  in  the  flesh. 
There  is  also  in  us  a  faculty  by  the  exercise  of 
which  we  may  draw  power  from  thence.  It  is  the 
function  of  this  faculty  to  open,  as  the  petals  and 
leaves  of  a  plant  open.  The  sensation  of  receiving 
power  is  accompanied  by  a  sentiment  of  reverence, 
a  feeling  of  sacred  humility  and  worship. 

The  grandeurs  and  beauties,  the  peace  and  joy  of 
this  environing  world,  no  words  can  reveal.  But  oh 
that  words  could  prove  to  all  mankind  that  this 
spiritual  world  exists!  Oh  that  every  sorrowing 
heart  could  feel  its  comfort,  that  every  sufferer 
could  be  restored  by  its  peace ! 

My  words  may  sound  extravagant  to  you.  I  may 
have  utterly  failed  even  to  suggest  the  real  message 
I  would  bring  to  you  to-day.  But  where  my  words 
fail  the  Spirit  will  speak.  Let  us  therefore  try  once 
more  together  in  silence  to  feel  that  surrounding 
Presence. 

Peace,  be  still!  Forget  all  else  but  the  Spirit. 
In  calmness  and  repose  send  out  your  thought  in  all 
directions  into  the  great  universe.  Unite  in  con- 
sciousness with  that  finest,  inmost  Essence  which 


142        The  Ministry  of  the  Spirit 

fills  all  space,  entering  into  its  peace,  contemplating 
its  beauty,  resting  in  its  encompassing  love. 

[The  speaker  becomes  absorbed  in  thought  as  his 
words  become  ever  gentler,  with  moments  of  wait- 
ing between  sentences.  An  expression  of  sweet 
peace  rests  upon  his  face,  and  his  hearers  are  lifted 
by  the  power  which  radiates  from  him  as  he  con- 
cludes. ...  As  if  oblivious  of  all  present,  he 
at  length  voices  his  thought.] 

O  Power  whence  cometh  all  the  energy  which 
stirs  this  universe,  O  Wisdom  which  guides  all  the 
activities  of  men,  O  Love  which  unites  all  hearts  to 
thee,  unto  thee  I  dedicate  anew  all  that  is  in  me. 
Unto  thee  I  open  my  soul  anew,  that  it  may  be 
filled  with  thy  peace,  that  it  may  be  inspired  by  thy 
love.  Guide  me,  that  I  may  be  faithful  to  thy 
presence.  Many  times  I  forget,  and  then  humbly 
return  to  thee.  Many  times  we  have  each  and  all 
forgotten  even  here  where  we  have  assembled  to 
learn  thy  law.  But  we  would  be  true,  we  would 
ever  manifest  thee.  And  so  we  begin  again  with  a 
zeal  unknown  before,  yet  a  zeal  which  inspires  us  in 
stillness,  in  that  far  inner  world  where  all  souls  are 
near,  whence  all  our  noblest  deeds  arise.  .  .  . 
As  we  go,  one  and  all,  in  silence,  when  the  soul  of 
each  is  moved,  let  us  bear  with  us  the  Presence 
which  has  been  with  us  to-day.  Let  us  walk  with 
that  peace  which  has  filled  our  souls,  and  forget  not 
that  love  which  has  drawn  us  together  as  fellow-work- 
ers in  the  greatest  of  all  spheres  in  all  the  universe, 
the  kingdom  of  the  Spirit.     Peace,  peace,  peace ! 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   MYSTERY   OF   PAIN  AND   EVIL 

Could  we  raise  the  veil  that  enshrouds  eternal  truth,  we  should 
see  that  behind  nature's  cruelest  works  there  are  secret  springs  of 
divinest  tenderness  and  love. — John  Fiske. 

ONE  of  the  profoundest  discoveries  possible  to 
the  human  mind  is  the  fact  that  all  our 
knowledge  is  relative  to  individual  experience  or 
consciousness ;  that  as  we  are,  so  is  our  particular 
world.  At  first  sight,  seemingly  limiting  our  powers 
beyond  all  hope  of  gaining  satisfactory  information 
about  life,  knowledge  of  this  relativity  is  in  truth 
the  only  sound  basis  of  systematic  thought.  For  as 
long  as  we  please  ourselves  with  the  illusive  fancy 
that  absolute  knowledge  is  possible,  we  overlook 
not  only  the  deep  significance  of  evolution  but  be- 
come continually  involved  in  contradictions  from 
which  there  is  no  hope  of  escape. 

While  a  man  believes  in  infallible  inspiration,  he 
dogmatises,. asserts,  and  offers  no  real  proof.  But 
when  he  learns  his  true  relationship  to  the  universe, 
he  discovers  the  glorious  possibility,  which  we  have 
considered  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  of  becoming  a 
minister  of   the  Spirit.     He  learns    that  just   this 

143 


144    The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil 

apparently  insuperable  limitation  is  precisely  that 
which  enables  him  to  manifest  the  Spirit  as  can  no 
other  man.  Without  relativity  as  a  fundamental  fact, 
education  and  philosophy  are  alike  impossible.  The 
very  basis  of  religion  is  the  worship  by  the  part  of 
the  whole,  the  discovery  by  the  finite  that  it  is  finite. 

The  limitations  of  finite  consciousness  are  well 
illustrated  by  the  relations  of  a  plant  in  the  sun- 
light. The  plant  can  absorb  from  the  sun's  energy 
that  alone  which  the  capacity  of  its  leaves  permits. 
What  it  absorbs  is  taken  into  instant  relation  with 
what  it  already  possesses ;  it  becomes  part  of  itself. 
In  the  same  way  the  mind  assimilates  from  a  lecture, 
from  travel,  only  what  it  is  prepared  to  receive.  All 
else  is  passed  by  as  if  it  were  naught. 

Thus  any  inspiration  partakes  of  the  imperfec- 
tions of  the  scribe.  Even  if  biblical,  it  is  given 
through  a  human  organism,  and  is  clothed  in  the 
language  which  happens  to  be  native  to  the  prophet, 
although  its  wisdom  may  in  a  measure  surpass  the 
comprehension  of  the  recipient. 

Again,  the  relativity  of  knowledge  is  illustrated 
by  physical  sensation.  What  is  called  colour  is 
partly  due  to  external  vibration,  partly  to  the  struc- 
ture of  the  eye :  the  sensation  is  a  relative  product. 
If  all  eyes  were  absent  there  would  still  be  vibration. 
But  what  that  vibration  is  in  itself,  apart  from  the 
percipient  organism,  no  one  knows.  We  know  only 
the  combined  result  in  even  the  most  definite  of  our 
visual  experiences. 

Likewise  sound  is  known  only  in  relation  to  the 


The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil     145 

ears  through  which  it  is  heard.  Light,  heat,  and  cold 
are  such  only  for  the  organisms  which  perceive  them. 
Injure  the  organism  and  the  result  will  be  altered. 
If  we  could  greatly  develop  our  senses,  what  won- 
ders we  might  hear  and  see ! 

My  knowledge  of  the  world  is  merely  what  my 
experience  has  told  me,  and  what  I  have  learned 
from  books  and  men.  But  what  I  learn  from  books 
and  men  is  understood  in  relation  to  my  particular 
intelligence.  All  that  I  know  of  my  closest  friend 
is  what  my  experience  with  that  friend  has  revealed. 
I  cannot  converse,  read  a  book,  witness  a  play,  or 
listen  to  a  lecture  apart  from  my  point  of  view. 

Further,  no  two  persons  behold  even  the  same 
physical  object,  for  example,  a  tree;  for  what  we 
behold  is  a  mental  picture  or  idea  resulting  from 
the  sensations  of  colour,  form,  etc.,  gathered  by  our 
physical  organisms.  We  assume  that  our  idea  is 
like  the  tree,  but  we  do  not  know  it,  and  cannot 
prove  it.  We  know  only  our  states  of  conscious- 
ness, and  these  are  intelligible  only  so  far  as  we  have 
philosophised. 

Let  me  soar  into  the  sky,  strike  my  hand  against 
a  rock,  enter  a  trance,  transmit  thought,  or  lose 
myself  in  spiritual  ecstasy ;  all  these  experiences  are 
alike  conditioned  by  what  I  am  and  what  I  have 
thought.  If  I  am  developed  by  them,  the  new 
thought  necessarily  enters  into  relation  with  the  old. 
I  can  grasp  only  what  my  state  of  development  per- 
mits. What  may  exist  beyond,  **  in  the  air,"  on 
Mars,  on  Venus,  I  know  not. 


146    The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil 

This  profound  discovery,  that  experience  is 
coloured  by  the  state  of  mind  and  body  of  the 
recipient,  and  that  therefore  the  recipient's  state  of 
development  is  the  condition  to  be  changed  and  not 
the  external  circumstance,  has  a  very  important 
bearing  on  the  problems  of  pain  and  evil. 

One  frequently  hears  the  remark  that  **  some- 
where in  the  universe  there  is  a  screw  loose,"  or, 
**  Had  I  been  present  at  creation,  I  would  have  or- 
dered things  very  differently/'  When  questioned  fur- 
ther, these  critics  of  the  universe  confess  their  utter 
hatred  of  the  present  order  of  things.  They  complain 
bitterly  at  the  existence  of  sorrow  and  pain,  of  evil 
and  disease,  which  they  always  trace  to  some  out- 
side source.  Man,  they  assure  us,  should  have  been 
created  sound,  virtuous,  with  knowledge  of  self  and 
knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  death.  In  other  words, 
the  ministry  of  suffering  is  deemed  a  dismal  failure. 

More  persistent  questioning  reveals  the  fact  that 
these  critics  have  never  come  to  judgment.  They 
are  constantly  condemning  others  for  wounding 
their  feelings.  They  are  in  perpetual  torment  be- 
cause animals  and  far-distant  peoples  suffer.  Or 
they  are  numbered  among  those  who,  puffed  up 
with  the  pride  of  family,  atheistical,  absorbed  in  a 
particular  branch  of  study,  have  never  opened  wide 
their  hearts  to  receive  all  men  as  brothers  and  all 
truth  as  one.  In  other  words,  they  lack  just  this 
profound  knowledge  which  we  are  considering  in 
this  chapter,  that  all  experience  is  relative  to  the 
state  of  the  recipient. 


The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil     147 

Suppose  for  a  moment  that  things  had  been 
ordered  as  one  of  these  hypersensitive  or  aristocratic 
critics  would  have  chosen.  Suppose  your  own  most 
fondly  cherished  Utopian  scheme  could  have  been 
substituted  for  the  world-system  now  in  vogue. 
Would  the  universe  have  been  either  perfect  or 
painless,  to  say  nothing  of  its  habitability  ? 

What  sort  of  life  would  man  have  lived  had  he 
been  born  perfect,  wise,  free  from  pain  and  the 
temptations  of  moral  evolution  ?  Judging  from 
what  we  know  of  life  as  it  exists  to-day,  the  man 
who  is  without  the  spur  of  suffering  in  some  form 
does  not  think,  does  not  grow.  It  is  a  law  of  life 
as  we  find  it  that  man  grows  strong  through  contest 
and  wise  through  victory.  If  philosophic  thought 
goes  with  it,  the  man  who  has  suffered  most  is  the 
wisest,  the  most  sympathetic,  the  most  broadly 
helpful.  Without  the  sharp  pangs  of  pain,  man  is 
too  easily  contented  to  trouble  himself  about  either 
self-development  or  the  good  of  others.  Had  he 
been  born  perfectly  sane  and  altruistic,  life  would 
have  been  very  much  like  existence  in  the  orthodox 
heaven  with  its  monotonous  psalm-singing  along 
the  golden  streets,  or  the  Buddhistic  Nirvana  where 
all  work  ceases. 

Work  is  the  glory  of  man,  and  the  zest  of  work 
is  that  priceless  conquest  of  obstacles  which  tests 
human  ingenuity  to  the  full.  It  is  use  alone  which 
enables  man  either  to  add  to,  or  to  keep  his  strength. 
It  is  individual  contact  with  and  study  of  the  great 
realities  of  life  which  alone  teaches  their  meaning 


148    The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil 

and  worth.  **  Nothing  venture,  nothing  have*'; 
and,  to  venture,  we  must  be  ignorant  of  the  out- 
come. If  man  could  be  told  the  sequel  ere  he  began 
the  story,  life  would  lose  all  its  zest.  If  he  were 
simply  **  good,*'  he  would  be  very  weak  and  un- 
interesting. Life  would  be  like  a  perpetual  summer 
with  never  a  drop  of  rain,  every  living  thing  per- 
fectly white,  the  same  monotonous  sound  breaking 
upon  the  ear,  no  pleasure  because  no  pain  with 
which  to  contrast  it,  nothing  doing  because  nothing 
to  do,  not  even  a  problem  to  solve  in  the  drearily 
identical  state  of  mind  of  the  poor  inhabitants,  who 
would  be  absolutely  alike.'  For  relativity  and  con- 
trast are  essentials  without  which  experience  is 
impossible. 

Or,  try  to  imagine  life  organised  on  a  painless 
basis  so  far  as  the  mere  activities  of  the  body  are 
concerned.  There  would  then  be  no  warning  sensa- 
tion of  fatigue,  nothing  to  show  that  Nature  is  re- 
pairing an  injury  or  readjusting  her  forces  after  an 
excess;  and,  consequently,  man  would  be  in  con- 
stant danger  of  maiming  his  body  for  life  or  causing 
instant  death.  For  pain  is  primarily  an  indication 
that  the  natural  rhythm,  or  equilibrium,  of  the  body 
has  been  disturbed.  In  itself,  it  is  perfectly  good, 
beneficent.  It  is  only  man's  misuse,  ignorance,  and 
infliction  of  it  that  has  caused  it  to  be  accentuated 
into  disease,  and  brought  into  such  disrepute  that 
it  is  ungraciously  called  **  evil." 

*  For  an  able  discussion  of  the  law  of  contrast,  see  John  Fiske, 
Through  Nature  to  God,     Houghton,  Mifflin,  &  Co.,  1899, 


The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil     149 

A  universe  without  this  kind  messenger  of  har- 
mony and  love  would  be  utterly  cruel  and  contempt- 
ible. Nothing  in  life  is  more  directly  meant  for 
man's  good  and  man's  education,  yet  nothing  has 
been  more  persistently  misunderstood. 

Could  any  arrangement  be  wiser  than  to  have  pain 
increase  to  the  degree  that  man  permits  his  atten- 
tion to  become  absorbed  by  it,  in  so  far  as  he  opposes 
it,  puts  drugs  or  other  obstructions  in  its  way,  or 
persists  in  his  sensuous  and  other  excesses  ?  Does 
anything  in  life  more  plainly  teach  its  lesson  than 
this  appealing,  beneficent  guardian,  pointing  out  to 
man  that  all  his  diseases  and  moral  struggles  are  the 
fruits  of  his  own  misconduct  and  his  own  ill-adjusted 
life? 

Yet  why  should  the  warning  be  painful  ?  some 
one  asks.  Because  man  would  not  give  sufficient 
heed  unless  it  were.  Why,  then,  was  not  man  born 
with  a  greater  sense  of  responsibility  ?  Because  re- 
sponsibility, like  everything  else,  is  appreciated  only 
through  gradual  evolution ;  it  is  a  result  of  the  pro- 
found discovery  of  our  relative  dependence  on  each 
other,  and  the  tremendous  importance  of  our  in- 
dividual acts. 

Since  all  virtues,  all  wisdom,  health,  and  all  noble 
attainments  are  possible  only  through  relativity ,^ 
evolution,  and  contrast,  the  fundamental  issue  is 
this:  Why  is  man  subject  to  these  laws  ?  Because 
he  is  limited  in  power  and  capability,  and  can  only 
acquire  bit  by  bit.  If,  finally,  the  sceptic  asks. 
Why  is  man  thus  limited  ?  the  only  answer  is  that 


150    The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil 

he  would  otherwise  be  infinite.  A  being  who  should 
be  able  to  apprehend  all  these  things  would  be  men- 
tally omnipotent  at  one  time.  Granted  finite  in- 
dividuality, you  must  have  the  limitations  of  time 
and  of  evolution.  The  more  there  is  to  be  known 
and  attained,  the  more  must  man  be  limited  by  the 
only  known  method  of  attainment ;  namely,  through 
progressive  relativity  or  evolution.  Sweep  away 
evolution,  and  you  sweep  away  the  condition  par 
excellence  which  renders  finite  life  possible. 

There  are  those  who  thoughtlessly  declare  that 
man  is  perfect  now,  that  there  are  no  limitations, 
there  is  no  progress,  and  thought  is  omnipotent. 
But,  if  one  man  were  perfect,  all  men  would  be  per- 
fect, since  perfection  is  social  completion ;  and  who 
would  claim  this  for  society  ?  If  man  were  without 
limitations,  he  would  be  absolute  in  all  particulars. 
It  stands  to  reason  that  there  could  be  but  one  such 
being.  If  there  be  no  progress,  there  is  absolute  at- 
tainment; in  other  words,  perfect  rest.  But  by 
hypothesis,  and  in  actual  fact,  there  is  strife,  evil, 
and  pain,  from  which  we  all  seek  escape.  If  thought 
be  omnipotent,  it  can  create  its  own  laws,  regardless 
of  the  eternal  laws  of  the  ages.  Thus  all  these 
theories  prove  their  originators  to  be  ignorant  of  the 
great  fact  of  relativity,  the  value  of  the  imperfect 
and  the  limited  as  organic  parts  of  the  social  and 
cosmic  whole. 

The  simple  facts  are  that  we  are  here  in  a  world- 
order  which  justifies  itself  to  each  soul  as  rapidly, 
and  only  as  rapidly,  as  the  soul  comes  face  to  face 


The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil     151 

with  its  own  limitations.  When  man  learns  that 
action  and  reaction  are  equal,  and  that  his  own 
activity  is  the  prime  cause  of  all  that  he  suffers  or 
enjoys,  he  holds  the  key  which  unlocks  the  entire 
mystery  of  suffering  and  evil.  The  universe  is  evil 
only  to  him  who  does  not  understand  its  laws. 
Only  that  man  commits  evil  who  is  still  ignorant 
that  the  universe  will  catch  him,  even  if  he  escapes 
the  law  of  man.  He  only  complains  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  humanity  who  has  failed  to  grasp  the  great 
fact  of  social  evolution,  that  human  life  is  an  organ- 
ism. Finally,  he  still  suffers  pain  who  has  not  yet 
fully  learned  the  great  lesson  of  adjustment. 

If  with  the  existence  of  pain  and  evil,  man  is  bet- 
ter off  than  if  the  world  had  been  created  **  perfect,*' 
it  follows  that  the  so-called  **  perfect  '*  is  artificial. 
If  evil  be  indispensable,  it  is  a  part  of  the  evolution- 
ary scheme,  and  does  not  by  any  means  imply  that 
there  is  an  adversary  rampant  in  the  world.  The 
'*  devil  '*  is  just  our  own  relative  imperfection,  which 
is  deemed  diabolical  only  so  long  as  the  great  fact  is 
unknown  that  all  the  circumstances  of  human  life  are 
conditioned  by  man's  own  lower  and  higher  nature. 

The  educational  value  of  evil  is  dependent  on  the 
discovery  of  our  true  worth  in  life  as  moral  and 
spiritual  individuals.  Half  of  the  mystery  is  ex^ 
plained  when  we  learn  that  without  relative  evil 
there  could  not  be  relative  good,  that  our  own  ignor- 
ance is  the  prime  cause  of  the  **  curse  "  that  is  upon 
us.  The  other  half  becomes  clear  with  the  dis- 
covery of  **  The  New  Point  of  View,"   when  we 


152    The  Mystery  of  Pain  and  Evil 

learn  the  evolutionary  origin  of  the  tendencies  in  us 
which  we  call  evil.  On  the  other  hand,  the  problem 
is  half  solved  when  we  understand  the  meaning  of 
pain,  and  how  by  attaining  health  and  equanimity 
we  may  avoid  it.  The  remaining  half  of  the  so- 
lution is  found  only  in  the  solution  of  the  social 
problem.  For  the  problem  of  evil  is  inextricably 
blended  with  all  the  problems  of  social  regenera- 
tion and  reform.  We  have  all  evolved  together, 
we  all  share  in  our  animal  inheritance,  and  we 
must  together  find  freedom  from  this  inheritance 
through  the  social  cultivation  of  our  higher  nature. 
Thus  the  social  problem  becomes  the  problem  par 
excellence  which  the  educated  man  is  called  upon  to 
solve.  Upon  this  question  he  must  bring  to  bear 
all  his  learning,  all  his  wisdom,  all  the  training 
which  the  struggle  for  self-expression  has  brought 
him.  And  thus  shall  his  existence  be  most  fully 
justified,  for  it  is  this  necessity  which  above  all 
others  furnishes  an  opportunity  for  service,  and  thus 
in  turn  evil  itself  finds  its  fullest  justification. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   IDEAL 

**  Philosophy  is  knowledge  of  things  not  as  they  appear  but  as  they 
are  caused." 

THE  first  essential  in  all  scientific  and  philosoph- 
ical inquiry  is  to  define  the  object  of  one's 
search,  the  second  is  to  formulate  a  method  by  the 
faithful  application  of  which  one  hopes  to  attain 
ultimate  truth.  In  this  chapter  I  shall  try  to  out- 
line both  the  ideal  and  the  method  of  philosophy, 
and  make  a  few  suggestions  which  may  prove  help- 
ful to  the  student. 

In  simple  terms,  philosophy  is  a  rational  interpre- 
tation of  life.  Its  scope  is  as  wide  as  the  universe. 
Its  ideal  is  the  critical  examination  and  unification 
of  all  knowledge :  the  truth  contained  in  all  history, 
science,  religion,  art,  morality,  and  all  speculations 
concerning  the  future.  It  underlies  all  education. 
It  underlies  all  practical  life.  Consequently,  nothing 
is  excluded  by  it,  no  event  is  uninteresting,  no  as- 
piration without  its  meaning.  It  is  as  deeply  con- 
cerned with  all  that  is  dear  and  true  to  you  and  me, 
as  it  is  to  understand  the  system  of  the  stars,  or 
surprise   the   secrets  of  nature.      Its  interests  are 

153 


154  The  Philosophical  Ideal 

literally  unlimited,  and  always  progressive.  It  is 
human,  sympathetic,  appealing;  it  aspires  even  to 
fellowship  with  God.  It  pays  the  highest  price  for 
virtue,  yet  is  not  ashamed  to  be  seen  with  the  sin- 
ner, and  is  as  much  at  home  among  the  lowly  as  in 
the  proudest  gatherings  of  society's  idols. 

Perhaps  the  easiest  approach  to  the  general  point 
of  view  of  philosophy  is  by  the  statement  that  a 
metaphysic,  or  theory  of  first  principles,  is  involved 
in  every  word  we  utter,  in  every  action,  in  every 
thought ;  for  all  our  acts  imply  certain  assumptions 
or  beliefs  in  regard  to  the  world.  For  example, 
philosophy  supplies  education  with  its  experimental 
ideal.  The  statement  that  all  life  is  educational 
involves  an  entire  philosophical  system.  We  have 
an  illustration  of  a  philosophical  attitude  in  the  fore- 
going chapter,  where  philosophy  rationalises  the 
existence  of  pain  and  evil.  Thus  every  general 
statement  about  life  involves  the  essential  principle 
of  a  world-system.  We  proceed  on  the  hypothesis 
that  an  external  world  exists,  that  it  is  real  or  that 
it  is  good.  We  believe  that  other  beings  besides 
ourselves  exist,  and  we  believe  ourselves  capable  of 
effecting  changes  in  the  world ;  for  experience  has 
taught  us  to  respect  the  universe  as  superior  to  our 
wills,  yet  in  a  measure  responsive  to  them.  All 
science  is  based  upon  such  assumptions  as  these; 
that  is,  science  begins  by  describing  forces  and  sub- 
stances, beings  and  things;  it  asserts  that  we  have 
but  to  open  our  eyes  in  order  to  behold  a  world  of 
living  organisms,  evolution,  dissolution,  order,  law. 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  155 

system.  Every  art,  every  branch  of  human  activity, 
must  have  its  tools  to  work  with,  and  the  majority 
are  content  to  take  things  as  they  are  without  trac- 
ing out  these  implications  and  assumptions  to  their 
ultimate  foundation. 

Philosophy  begins  where  human  thought  in  gen- 
eral rests  content,  and  is  primarily  concerned  with 
that  which  lies  beyond,  with  the  ultimate  origin, 
nature,  and  destiny  of  the  universe.  It  asks  ques- 
tions which  seem  absurd  at  first  sight,  but  which 
prove  to  be  the  profoundest  of  all  problems,  namely, 
Are  these  postulates  rightfully  assumed  ?  Is  it  true 
that  an  external  world  exists  ?  Is  there  really  a 
self  or  soul  capable  of  exerting  free  will  ?  Are  there 
other  selves  ?  Is  there  in  truth  a  God,  a  world- 
system,  goodness,  beauty  ?  If  so,  what  is  the 
meaning  of  it  all  ?  How  came  it  to  be,  and  whither 
is  it  tending  ?  In  short,  the  philosopher  questions 
and  examines  every  fact,  asking  not  only  if  it  is  a 
fact,  if  we  really  know  it,  but  how  we  know  it,  and 
why  we  know  it,  and  if  it  may  be  rationally  doubted. 

The  great  philosophers  seem  to  possess  an  instinct 
for  the  perception  of  life's  goodness  and  meaning, 
as  though  there  were  some  door  left  open  to  them 
which  is  closed  to  other  men.  They  seem  to  be  in 
immediate  touch  with  the  essence  of  life,  in  divine 
communion,  as  though  in  their  inmost  hearts  they 
knew  life's  entire  secret.  It  is  true,  all  fail  in  the 
statement  of  what  they  perceive.  Although  pro- 
gress is  constantly  being  made,  there  is  not  a  phi- 
losophical system,    from   the   earliest   attempts  in 


156  The  Philosophical  Ideal 

India  to  the  Spencerian  philosophy  of  evolution 
to-day,  which  satisfies  the  human  mind ;  nor  do  all 
of  these  together,  nor  all  the  bibles  of  the  world  in 
addition,  meet  our  full  demand.  Yet  imperfect  as 
their  statements  may  be,  one  feels  that  many  phi- 
losophers have  really  had  the  holy  vision.  Nature 
speaks  to  us  in  just  such,  language  as  this,  and  it 
would  be  profane  if  one  could  translate  it  literally. 
The  greatest  philosopher  is  he  who  can  quicken  this 
instinct  for  the  wholeness,  the  fulness  of  things, 
and  at  the  same  time  be  accurate  in  statement. 
Many  may  feel  life's  spirit,  many  can  state  bare 
facts,  but  it  is  only  the  few  who  are  equally  true 
both  to  feeling  and  thought,  and  their  relations. 
The  philosopher,  therefore,  in  order  to  reduce  all 
beliefs,  assumptions,  and  visions  to  their  ultimate 
theories  of  life,  must  of  necessity  be  the  fairest,  the 
broadest,  and  most  fundamental  thinker.  He  can- 
not, like  other  people,  belong  to  sects,  organisations, 
and  schools,  so  far  as  these  place  restrictions  on  a 
person,  but  must  be  impartial,  impersonal,  and  free. 
He  cannot,  for  example,  be  a  mere  socialist,  a  mere 
politician  or  historian.  Yet  no  one  must  understand 
socialism,  politics  and  history  better  than  he.  He 
must  not  rest  content  with  the  surfaces  of  things, 
but  must  ever  ask.  What  is  real,  what  is  enduring, 
what  does  it  mean  ? 

This,  in  a  word,  is  the  very  essence  of  philosophy, 
namely,  the  belief  that  there  is  something  besides 
appearances;  that  beneath,  above,  beyond  all  this 
that  passes,  above,  behind,  yet  revealed  in  these 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  157 

things  we  see,  these  pains  we  suffer,  and  these  joys 
that  lift  us  to  a  higher  plane,  there  is  a  Reality  that 
abides,  an  Intelligence  which  directs,  a  Being  which 
animates.^ 

In  one  sense,  all  men  are  philosophers,  for  all  have 
learned  to  avoid  illusion;  most  of  us  believe  there 
is  a  power  behind  phenomena,  and  we  have  all  treas- 
ured up  bits  of  philosophic  wisdom  gleaned  from 
experience.  Yet  we  find  it  difficult  to  give  reasons 
for  the  faith  that  is  in  us.  The  philosopher  gives 
his  life  to  the  search  for  reasons.  And  if  a  philos- 
opher finally  becomes  an  idealist,  it  is  not  because 
he  wants  to  believe  that  ideas  are  more  enduring 
than  things,  but  because  reason  itself  has  convinced 
him  of  it. 

Exact  philosophy  is  thus  more  fundamental  than 
the  doctrines  which  usually  pass  current  as  creeds 
and  theological  systems.  The  old  theology,  for 
example,  made  certain  assumptions  concerning  God 
as  creator,  outside  of  the  world ;  his  incarnation  as 
'*  the  only  begotten  son  '*;  as  composed  of  three 
persons  in  one ;  as  demanding  a  propitiatory  sacri- 
fice ;  but  it  did  not  ask  how  these  things  could  be. 
The  history  of  thought  shows  that  the  moment 
men  began  seriously  to  ask.  How  ?  the  power  of 
these  dogmas  began  to  wane. 

Again,  popular  optimism  and  pessimism  are  un- 
concerned with  fundamental  problems.  In  the  one 
attitude,  a  man  assumes  that  this  is  the  best  of  pos- 
sible worlds,  in  the  other  that  it  is  the  worst.  But 
Sully  points  out,  in  his  masterly  refutation  of  the 


158  The  Philosophical  Ideal 

pessimism  of  Schopenhauer  and  Hartmann/  that  as 
this  is  the  only  world  known  to  us  it  is  arrogance  on 
our  part  to  assume  that  this  is  the  best  or  the  worst 
of  possible  worlds.  Sully  refutes  pessimism  on  its 
own  grounds,  finding  it  unscientific,  irrational,  and 
unproved.  Furthermore,  it  is  clear  from  discussions 
like  his  that  some  are  pessimists  by  nature,  while 
in  other  cases  optimism  of  temperament  finds  ex- 
pression in  optimism  of  philosophy. 

Others  assume  either  that  life  is  already  explained 
by  some  doctrine  to  which  they  have  become  zealous 
converts,  or  that  it  is  hopelessly  mysterious.  But 
here  again  assumption  calls  for  fundamental  inquiry. 
In  a  doubt  that  a  philosophical  system  is  possible,  a 
theory  of  ultimate  knowledge  is  already  implied.' 
Man  cannot  therefore  escape  from  being  some  sort 
of  philosopher,  if  he  thinks  at  all.  If  he  does  not 
think,  a  metaphysical  theory  is  nevertheless  con- 
fessed by  his  conduct,  as  we  have  already  suggested. 

It  is  clear,  then,  that  no  doctrine  is  worthy  of 
being  called  a  philosophy  which  fails  to  look  beneath 
its  own  terms  in  search  of  ultimate  reality.  *'  It  is 
the  only  science/'  says  Kant,  **  which  admits  of 
completion,*'  and  he  further  defines  it  as  **  the 
science  of  the  first  principles  of  human  cognition.'*  ^ 
That  is,  it  asks  not  only  what  we  may  know,  but 
how  we  know  it.     "It  is  the  totality  of  all  known 

*  James  Sully,  Pessimism,     Appleton,  1891. 

*  See  Bradley,  Appearance  and  Reality^  Introduction.  Swann, 
Sonnenschein,  &  Co.,  London,  1893. 

2  Critique  of  Pure  Reason^ 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  159 

facts  in  the  unity  of  an  intelligible  system/*  says 
F.  E.  Abbot.  It  is  (i)  sceptical,  as  defined  by 
Bradley  ^ :  **  I  understand  by  it  to  become  aware  of 
and  to  doubt  all  preconceptions  ";  (2)  constructive, 
as  defined  by  James  Martineau'*:  **  Systems  of 
philosophical  opinion  grow  from  the  mind's  instinc- 
tive effort  to  unify  by  sufficient  reason,  and  justify 
by  intelligible  pleas,  its  deepest  affections  and  ad- 
mirations ** ;  and  (3)  ultimate,  as  defined  in  a  recent 
lecture  by  Professor  Ladd  of  Yale:  **  There  are 
three  kinds  of  knowledge ;  that  of  the  practical  kind, 
which  distinguishes  men  from  fools,  the  knowledge 
of  common  sense ;  and  there  is  scientific  knowledge, 
although  this  cannot  be  divided  in  a  hard  and  fast 
way,  since  the  every-day  knowledge  of  our  time  was 
once  scientific  knowledge.  These  two  kinds,  some 
people  think,  are  the  only  kinds  of  knowledge,  but 
the  human  kind  is  not  and  never  has  been  satisfied 
with  these  two  alone.  Philosophy  is  older  than 
science,  and  is  more  fundamental.  The  scientist 
himself  must  make  this  leap  beyond  science,  or  he 
does  not  know  what  is  real.  That  he  must  make  as- 
sumptions is  proved  by  Huxley  himself,  who  on  one 
page  was  an  uncritical  realist,  on  the  next  an  agnos- 
tic, and  on  another  a  Berkleyan  idealist.  There  is 
a  natural  craving  for  a  kind  of  certainty  which  goes 
beyond  scientific  certainty.  Teachers  of  the  physi- 
cal sciences  are  not  capable  of  satisfying  this  craving. 
Ask  the  astronomer  who  observes  things  in  space 

^  Appearance  and  Reality, 

*^  Types  of  Ethical  Theory,     Macmillan,  &  Co.,  1891. 


i6o         The  Philosophical  Ideal 

and  knows  their  laws  what  that  space  is,  and  he 
must  come  to  philosophy/* 

A  philosophical  system,  then,  is  a  scheme  in  which 
the  presuppositions  of  all  the  sciences,  such,  for 
example,  as  the  existence  of  nature,  of  forces,  of 
selves,  of  the  moral  law,  are  reduced  to  intelligible 
unity  in. accordance  with  some  rational  principle. 
It  seeks  to  eliminate  all  prejudice,  narrowly  temper- 
amental bias,  and  the  limitations  of  time  and  place. 
It  is  never  reared  in  intellectual  isolation,  and  must 
certainly  fail  unless  it  take  cognisance  of  all  previous 
systems  of  any  importance.^  The  aim  of  philosophy 
is  indeed  the  most  audacious  and  comprehensive 
ever  conceived  by  man,  namely,  to  discover  and 
state  in  precise  language  not  only  the  truth  about 
the  universe  and  all  it  contains  —  interpreted  in  the 
light  of  our  growing  knowledge  —  but  to  put  all  this 
in  its  true  light  in  relation  to  the  history  of  thought. 

Thus  broadly  defined,  the  problems  of  philosophy 
may  be  summarised  in  the  words  of  Kant  ^ :  **  What 
can  I  know  ?  What  ought  I  to  do  ?  What  may  I 
hope  for  ?  *'  F.  Perron  sums  them  up  in  nine  ques- 
tions: **  We  must  ask  respecting  things:  If  they 
are  ?  What  they  are  ?  How  they  are  ?  By  what  ? 
Why  ?  Where  ?  When  ?  How  many  ?  In  what 
relations  ?    And  these  nine  questions  lead  to  nine 

^  Consult  Royce,  The  Spirit  of  Modern  Philosophy,  Lecture  I.  ; 
Windleband,  History  of  Philosophy,  For  further  definitions,  see  the 
histories  of  philosophy  by  Ueberweg,  i.,  Introduction,  §  i  ;  Erdmann, 
i.,  Introduction  ;  Zeller,  History  of  Greek  Philosophy^  i.,  I, 

^  Critique  of  Pure  Reason, 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  i6i 

categories,  respectively :  Existence,  Essence,  Mode, 
Causality,  End,  Space,  Time,  Number,  Relation/* 

In  a  more  definite  way  we  may  state  the  great 
problems  as  follows : 

What  is  matter  ?  Are  atoms  (if  they  exist)  ulti- 
mate ? 

What  IS  mind  or  consciousness  ? 

How  are  matter  and  mind  related  ? 

What  is  force — ultimately  ?     (Mechanism.) 

What  is  life — ultimately  ?     (Organism.) 

What  is  causation — ultimately  ?     (God.) 

What  are  time  and  space  ? 

Do  we  possess  any  knowledge  beyond  experience  ? 

How  is  finite  experience  possible  ?  How  is  know- 
ledge of  any  sort  possible  ?  How  did  it  begin  ? — 
that  is.  What  constitutes  a  finite  being  ?  (Paradox 
of  the  infinite  and  finite.) 

Why  does  the  universe  exist,  and  how  ? 

What  is  the  basis  of  moral  obligation  ? 

Does  man  possess  freedom  of  will  ? 

Is  man  an  immortal  soul,  possessing  ultimately 
separate  individuality  ? 

What  is  evil  ? 

What  is  the  ultimate  good  ? 

What  is  the  relation  of  ethical  individuals  (plural- . 
ism)  to  the  one  Reality  ?  (as  defined  by  monism.^) 

Of  course  the  mere  statement  of  these  questions^ 
involves  certain  uncritical  assuriiptions.  But  all 
these  problems  have  engaged  philosophical  inquiry, 

^  See  The  Will  to  Believe^  by  Professor  James.  Longmans,  Green, 
&Co.,  1897. 


1 62  The  Philosophical  Ideal 

and  they  suggest  the  scope  of  metaphysical  thought. 
Strictly  speaking,  the  only  satisfactory  statement  of 
the  problems  is  the  account  of  their  evolution  from 
the  speculations  of  Thales  to  the  latest  researches  of 
the  followers  of  Hegel  and  the  doctrine  of  evolu- 
tion/ 

In  the  examination  and  statement  of  the  great 
questions,  the  ideal  of  course  is  the  development  of 
a  **  philosophy  without  assumptions/'  Such  a 
system  might  not  at  once  appeal  to  the  uneducated, 
for  it  would  be  the  result  of  the  most  painstaking 
thought.  But  it  should  win  the  immediate  assent  of 
reason  since,  like  the  proposition,  two  and  two  are 
four,  it  would  contain  its  own  verification.  That 
is,  one  would  not  need  to  look  beyond  the  state- 
ments presented  for  their  justification.  It  would  be 
truly  ultimate  description  such  that  every  man,  in 
his  right  mind,  by  taking  four  units  would  find  their 
sum  to  be  four.  In  other  words,  life  critically  and 
appreciatively  observed  would  be  found  like  the 
description  of  it. 

That  which  would  qualify  anyone  to  accept  such 

a  statement  as,  two  and  two  are  four,  would  of 

course  be  a  certain  amount  of  experience  in  regard 

.  to  other  combinations  of  figures,  and  the  conviction 

'  The  reader  is  more  likely  to  be  interested  at  first  in  a  statement 
of  the  modern  problems  as  propounded  by  Royce  ( The  Spirit  of 
Modern  Philosophy)^  Falckenberg  (History  of  Modern  Philosophy)^ 
Paulsen  {Introduction  to  Philosophy)^  than  in  the  larger  histories  by 
Erdmann  and  Ueberweg,  or  a  severely  technical  treatise  like  the 
Critique  of  Pure  Reason  or  Appearance  and  Reality, 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  163 

that  reason  is  capable  of  discerning  the  meaning  of 
experience  and  arriving  at  truth.  If  one  is  not  yet 
convinced  that  the  mind  can  reason  correctly,  it  is 
futile  to  set  forth  even  the  most  accurately  logical  de- 
ductions. When  Xenophanes,  for  example,  declares 
that  the  Best  can  only  be  One,  he  who  is  in  posses- 
sion of  reason  and  the  belief  in  its  validity  sees  at 
once  that  this  statement  is  universally  and  eter- 
nally true ;  otherwise  language  could  have  no  definite 
meaning.  It  is  the  essence  of  the  philosophical 
method  to  give  unqualified  assent  to  a  proposition 
only  when  all  propositions  opposed  to  it  are  seen 
to  be  false.  And  a  time  comes  in  mental  develop- 
ment when  certain  statements  at  once  appeal  to  the 
mind  as  axiomatic.  For  example,  the  statement 
that  a  straight  line  is  the  shortest  between  two 
points. 

The  path  of  the  philosopher  is  necessarily  beset 
by  every  possible  obstacle  with  which  a  human 
soul  can  contend  yet  achieve  ultimate  success.  He 
must  know  error  in  all  its  forms,  that  he  may  by 
contrast  know  truth.  He  must  have  adequate 
knowledge  of  all  classes  of  facts,  so  that  severally 
and  through  their  relations  they  shall  be  completely 
intelligible.  Philosophy  may  therefore  be  defined 
as  an  adequate  account  of  the  nature  of  things  in 
the  light  of  their  laws  and  their  total  relations,  both 
the  Being  and  the  Becoming,  the  Real  and  the 
Apparent. 

The  philosopher  is  never  in  haste  to  arrive  at  de- 
cisions.    He  lives  in  eternity,  not  in  time,  and  is 


1 64         The  Philosophical  Ideal 

willing  to  set  apart  many  years  for  the  solution  of  a 
single  problem.  His  own  eagerness  would  defeat 
his  object  if  he  permitted  himself  to  hurry.  When 
he  is  on  the  verge  of  a  positive  result,  he  must  im- 
mediately call  a  halt  by  asking,  Is  there  an  alter- 
native ?  Is  there  not  some  other  way  of  regarding 
this  question  ?  Have  I  developed  all  the  logical 
implications  of  my  premises  ?  Is  my  fundamental 
premise  sound  ?  Has  a  different  point  of  view  been 
maintained  in  the  past  ? 

The  philosopher's  method  must  therefore  be  its 
own  corrective.  Each  advance  should  be  accom- 
panied by  a  corresponding  development  of  scepti- 
cism. The  latest  conclusion  must  be  as  closely 
scrutinised  as  the  first.  '*  Exposition  is  often  im- 
position.'' One  is  likely  to  become  unduly  interested 
in  endlessly  subtle  complexities,  to  maintain  a  cer- 
tain point  of  view  for  mere  argument's  sake,  or 
because  it  furnishes  material  for  an  essay.  There  is 
also  danger  that  one  may  create  unreal  difficulties,  or 
dwell  at  length  on  a  mere  lifeless  abstraction,  such 
as  the  **  Unknowable,"  the  '' Ding-an-Sich.''  It  is 
also  easy  to  fall  into  anthropomorphism,  to  forget 
that,  although  the  chief  value  of  a  system  of  phi- 
losophy is  often  the  natural  history  of  the  intellect 
that  develops  and  expounds  it,  the  intellect  may 
stand  in  its  own  light. 

The  world  is  slow  to  recognise  the  value  of  this 
philosophical  sincerity  and  painstaking  criticism. 
Usually  it  is  misunderstood  and  condemned  as 
negative  or  iconoclastic.     As  a  rule,   people  care 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  165 

more  for  those  teachers  who  appeal  to  their  credul- 
ity than  for  those  who  inspire  thought.  People  like 
to  believe,  to  gather  about  those  who  deal  in  ready- 
made  convictions.  Consequently,  the  truth-seeker 
is  condemned  because  he  does  not  speak  out  con- 
vincingly. He  is  charged  with  **  threshing  his  oats 
in  public/*  when,  as  matter  of  fact,  he  has  already 
thought  too  deeply  to  ally  himself  with  any  particu- 
lar theory.  But  Socrates  was  the  wisest  of  Greeks 
because  he  knew  and  said  that  he  knew  nothing. 

It  is  the  superficial  teacher  who  deals  only  in  con- 
victions, never  in  doubts ;  who  tells  what  God  is  and 
all  about  life  and  the  soul.  He  who  has  truly  begun 
to  philosophise  knows  that  all  our  knowledge  is 
hypothetical.  We  are  proceeding  on  certain  highly 
probable  assumptions,  and  taking  the  rest  on  faith, 
in  the  belief  that  the  universe  will  not  prove  disap- 
pointing. 

The  little  child  can  ask  questions  which  the  wisest 
of  us  cannot  answer.  We  may  hazard  an  answer. 
But  it  is  usually  a  mere  Xy  a  skilful  formula  to  con- 
ceal ignorance.  In  reality,  all  our  knowledge,  even 
our  philosophy,  is  still  relative:  we  know  only  so 
far  as  individual  reason  has  penetrated.  Beyond 
our  present  life  and  thought,  in  other  conditions  or 
on  other  planets,  what  do  we  know  ?  Even  the  idea, 
of  God,  varying  from  age  to  age,  is  man's  attenSpt 
to  describe  a  reality  corresponding  to  his  highest 
emotion  and  thought.  While  man  believes  his 
thought  of  God  to  be  an  infallible  revelation,  he 
deceives   himself   and   deceives  others.     When  he 


1 66         The  Philosophical  Ideal 

learns  that  it  is  not  God,  but  a  statement  of  his 
consciousness  in  search  of  God,  he  then  frankly  con- 
fesses his  ignorance,  and  the  growth  of  real  wisdom 
begins. 

Since  all  revelation,  all  experience,  necessarily 
partakes  of  the  limitations  of  the  recipient,  it  should 
be  put  forth  only  for  what  it  is  worth.  All  general- 
isations concerning  experience  should  be  understood 
as  describing  that  experience  in  so  far  as  we  now  see 
it.  Consequently,  the  wise  man  says:  So  far  as  I 
have  observed,  this  is  the  way  it  seems,  this  appears 
highly  probable.  I  will  therefore  adopt  this  hypo- 
thesis tentatively,  but  hold  myself  open  to  an  entire 
change  of  view.  Thus  the  experimental  attitude 
must  be  paramount  until  philosophy  has  discovered 
the  last  datum. 

There  are  numberless  illusions  which  hold  sway 
for  a  time.  If,  for  example,  I  am  suffering  from 
disease,  and  experiment  with  various  drugs,  all  of 
which  fail  until  suddenly  I  regain  my  health,  my 
conclusion  naturally  is  that  the  drug  healed  me. 
But  it  may  be  a  mere  coincidence  that  I  take  just 
this  drug  simultaneously  with  nature's  restoration 
of  my  body.  Or  it  may  appear  that  a  hypnotist,  a 
faith  healer,  or  a  mental  healer  has  cured  me.  Yet 
all  this  may  be  illusory,  for  my  own  faith  or  auto- 
suggestion may  have  been  the  real  agent.  Perhaps 
some  spirit  healed  me.  Perhaps  my  excess  had  run 
itself  out.     Who  knows  positively  ? 

Even  if  I  could  absolutely  know  in  a  given  case, 
it  would  not  follow  that  all  cases  are  to  be  described 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  167 

by  the  same  theory.  Fresh  investigation  must  ac- 
company every  new  experience.  The  number  of 
possibilities  is  enormously  large.  We  may  think  we 
possess  the  truth,  when  there  are  a  thousand  aspects 
of  the  case  which  we  have  never  considered. 

The  history  of  thought  shows  that  doubt  has 
played  as  important  a  part  in  the  development  of 
exact  philosophy  as  belief  itself.  Indeed,  thorough- 
going philosophy  began  when  men  began  to  doubt. 
The  majority  are  credulous :  it  is  doubt  which  guards 
the  main  pathway  to  truth.  What  is  most  needed, 
especially  in  the  pulpit,  is  frankness,  a  sincere  con- 
fession of  opinion.  Instead,  we  have  hundreds  of 
ministers  who  are  preaching  one  set  of  ideas  and 
believing  another.  Why  not  come  out  and  confess 
that  one  no  longer  believes  the  old  theology,  that 
philosophical  doubts  are  too  strong  ?  Surely  there 
is  rich  compensation  in  the  adoption  of  the  experi- 
mental point  of  view,  and  the  discovery  of  the  deep 
significance  of  natural  evolution. 

But,  if  you  expose  your  doubts  in  public,  you  may 
create  doubters.  What  of  that  ?  Doubt  implies 
that  one  is  dissatisfied  and  is  in  search  of  a  larger 
philosophy.  Progress  begins  when  men  begin  to 
doubt  conventional  standards  and  to  launch  out  for 
themselves.  Pushed  far  enough,  doubt  leadsjto 
deeper  and  broader  conviction.  The  great  men  of 
science  are  those  who,  like  Darwin,  were  not  con- 
vinced until  they  were  compelled  by  an  enormous 
accumulation  of  evidence.  The  science  of  evolution 
has  advanced  year  by  year,  since  the  publication  of 


1 68  The  Philosophical  Ideal 

The  Origin  of  Species  in  1859,  because  the  students 
of  evolution  have  dared  and  are  daring  to  propose 
questions  which  Darwin's  theory  did  not  fully 
answer. 

With  all  these  considerations  in  mind,  we  may 
now  define  the  philosophical  method  analytically 
and  didactically  as  follows : 

Seek  first  facts,  reasons,  causes.  Hypotheses  are 
only  needed  temporarily  to  eke  out  facts,  or  as  first 
steps  in  the  scientific  method. 

Do  not  assume  premises :  give  evidence  for  every 
statement. 

Think  accurately,  moderately,  exhaustively. 

Follow  reason  rather  than  preconception,  wherever 
it  leads. 

Use  no  word  whose  meaning  is  not  perfectly  clear 
to  the  average  philosophical  reader. 

Define  accurately  when  necessary. 

Ignore  no  facts.  Be  open-minded,  on  the  alert 
for  new  evidence. 

Use  language  which  cannot  be  mistaken. 

Make  no  statement  for  which  you  could  not,  if 
questioned,  give  an  adequate  reason  ;  none  on 
authority. 

**  Give  unqualified  assent  to  no  propositions  but 
those  the  truth  of  which  is  so  clear  and  distinct  that 
they  cannot  be  doubted.*' 

Be  content  only  with  the  most  rational,  the  best 
provisional,  the  most  accurate  statements  which  our 
limited  knowledge  permits  us  to  make. 

Do   not  be  eager  to  explain  facts  according  to 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  169 

some  preconceived  theory,  but  willingly  sacrifice 
the  theory. 

Avoid  the  confusion  of  your  point  of  view  with 
the  fact  which  you  wish  to  interpret. 

**  Unless  you  refute  your  opponent  at  his  best 
you  are  refuted  by  him.'* 

Understand  clearly  that  the  materialist,  the  ideal- 
ist, the  theologian,  and  the  man  of  science  mean  one 
and  the  same  Substance,  the  Spirit,  the  Life  of  all, 
whether  they  term  it  matter,  **  Infinite  Self,'* 
'*  God,**  or  **  force,**  and  you  will  no  longer  be 
intolerantly  troubled  by  the  divergence  of  their 
opinions,  but  seek  the  truth  in  all. 

Professor  Lovering  once  said  that  the  reason  why 
people  no  longer  believe  the  corpuscular  theory  is 
because  those  who  held  it  have  died  off.  A  sug- 
gestive remark. 

Suppose  a  man  living  in  the  tenth  century  were  to 
say  to  another,  **  I  know  the  earth  is  the  centre  of 
the  universe.**  He  might  feel  perfectly  sure  he 
was  right,  for  the  reason  that  he  was  not  yet  open 
to  a  wider  view.  Many  love  hypothesis  rather  than 
truth,  because  truth  is  so  far  beyond  them.  If  the 
intuition  of  one  age  becomes  the  reason  of  the  next, 
and  the  superstition  of  the  third,  then  either  it  was 
not  genuine  intuition,  or  it  was  only  a  partial  state- 
ment of  truth.  It  follows  that  either  our  intuitions 
are  not  intuitions  at  all,  and  we  are  not  able  to  dis- 
tinguish between  inclination,  theory,  reason,  and 
insight,  or  they  are  glimpses  of  truth  through  the 
thick  veil  of  ignorance. 


170         The  Philosophical  Ideal 

It  is  the  special  privilege  of  the  childhood  of  the 
world  to  rejoice,  to  build  air  castles,  to  have  great 
hopes,  to  have  firm  convictions.  But  it  is  the  task 
of  intellectual  manhood  to  analyse  these  very  hopes, 
and  even  to  doubt  them.  We  are  inclined  to  hold 
fast  to  our  childish  dreams.  The  religious  virorld 
has  scarcely  passed  through  this  stage.  Yet  the 
philosopher  tells  us  that  we  do  not  know  until  we 
have  tested  our  visions. 

Yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  should  cling  to 
our  deepest  hopes:  until  we  prove  them  to  be  false. 
But  we  must  make  sure  of  three  points:  (i)  that  we 
love  truth  more  than  any  statement  of  it ;  (2)  that 
we  are  open  to  growth  through  experience,  reason, 
and  intuition;  (3)  that  we  are  not  holding  some- 
thing to  be  true  for  which  we  have  no  evidence. 

Above  all,  then,  be  concrete  ;  cling  fast  to  prac- 
tical evidence.  Remember  that  art  comes  first,  in 
the  natural  order  of  things,  then  science.  Therefore, 
seek  first  life,  experience  ;  then  the  meaning  of  your 
experience.  Live  deeply,  then  think  philosophic- 
ally. 

The  philosophical  temper  or  attitude  of  mind  has 
seldom  been  better  suggested,  at  least  so  far  as  its 
superiority  to  circumstance  is  concerned,  than  in 
these  words  from  AmieV s  JournaP  : 

**  There  is  but  one  thing  needful — to  possess  God. 
All  our  senses,  all  our  powers  of  mind  and  soul,  all 
our  external  resources,  are  so  many  ways  of  ap- 
proaching the  divinity,  so  many  ways  of  tasting  and 

^  Translated  by  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward.     Macmillan,  1893. 


The  Philosophical  Ideal  171 

of  adoring  God.  We  must  learn  to  detach  ourselves 
from  all  that  is  capable  of  being  lost,  to  bind  our- 
selves absolutely  only  to  what  is  absolute  and  eter- 
nal, and  to  enjoy  the  rest  as  a  loan,  a  usufruct. 
Let  come  what  will  —  even  death.  Only 
be  at  peace  with  self,  live  in  the  presence  of  God, 
in  communion  with  him,  and  leave  the  guidance  of 
existence  to  those  universal  powers  against  whom 
thou  canst  do  nothing!  If  death  gives  me  time  so 
much  the  better.  If  its  summons  is  near,  so  much 
the  better  still ;  if  a  half-death  overtake  me,  still  so 
much  the  better,  for  so  the  path  of  success  is  closed 
to  me  only  that  I  may  find  opening  before  me  the 
path  of  heroism,  of  moral  greatness  and  resignation. 
Every  life  has  its  potentiality  of  greatness,  and  as 
it  is  impossible  to  be  outside  God,  the  best  is  con- 
sciously to  dwell  in  him.*' 

In  fine,  then,  the  philosophical  attitude  is  notable 
for  two  striking  characteristics.  The  philosopher  is 
free,  unattached,  ready  to  move  from  place  to  place 
wherever  truth  may  lead  and  without  regard  to  pre- 
dilections, personal  desires  and  doctrines ;  and  he  is 
a  critic.  No  one  must  be  as  free,  yet  no  one  must 
be  so  persistently,  fundamentally  critical.  He  must 
be  the  sceptic  of  sceptics,  discovering  the  errors, 
illusions,  and  subtleties  which  escape  all  other  men. 
It  is  not  for  him  to  rest  in  settled  convictions,  nor  in 
the  belief  that  existence  is  an  enigma.  He  must  be 
continually  investigating  until  he  at  least  finds  out 
what  may  be  known  and  what  cannot  be  known. 
He  must  move  forward  with  evolution,  yet  see  to  it 


172  The  Philosophical  Ideal 

that  the  wisdom  of  the  past  is  not  neglected.  He 
must  therefore  live  with  the  ages;  at  the  same  time 
no  one  should  understand  the  present  more  thor- 
oughly than  he.  His  is  the  privilege  to  be  universal 
while  all  other  men  are  specialists.  Thus  his  ideal 
is  the  acme  of  all  intellectual  and  spiritual  education, 
and  training  in  philosophy  is  the  best  discipline 
which  the  entire  educational  world  affords.  The 
broader  his  life,  the  profounder  his  intellect,  the 
richer  his  spiritual  experience,  the  more  is  he  capable 
of  realising  his  high  ideal.  Although  deprived  of 
many  opportunities  for  service,  none  must  have  so 
great  a  heart,  none  must  more  truly  lead  the  life  of 
the  Spirit  ;  and  there  is  rich  compensation  in  the  fact 
that  he  may  inspire  thousands  of  workers,  that  the 
work  of  the  thinker  is  the  most  fundamental,  in  a 
sense  the  most  original  work  in  a  generation.  He 
who  is  accounted  worthy  of  this  ideal  is  in  fact  most 
fortunate  of  men.  Fortunate,  too,  that  man  who 
has  at  least  dedicated  his  life  to  it,  who  aspires  to 
that  divine  communion  which  makes  possible  the 
interpretation  of  God  to  man. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   CRITERIA   OF  TRUTH 

One  has  little  confidence  in  the  truth  of  his  own  view  who  is  not 
willing  for  a  moment  to  entertain  a  different  one. — W.  M.  Salter. 

THE  goal  of  philosophical  inquiry  having  been 
defined  as  ultimate,  reasoned  truth  about  the 
total  universe,  adequate  interpretation  of  life,  such 
that  the  severest  facts,  for  example,  the  darkest 
problems  of  social  evil,  shall  be  intelligibly  ex- 
plained, the  next  step  is  the  adoption  of  a  criterion 
which  shall  show  that  truth  is  truth  when  we  find 
it,  despite  the  possibilities  of  error. 

When,  however,  we  ask.  What  shall  be  the  cri- 
terion ?  we  at  once  meet  a  serious  difficulty.  No 
test  of  truth  has  been  agreed  upon  even  by  the  few 
profoundest  philosophers.  The  inconceivability  of 
the  opposite  has  been  proposed  by  some.  But  a 
philosopher  might  some  time  conceive  of  the  oppo- 
site. A  thorough-going  scientific  man  has  been 
known  to  reject  what  was  proved  fact  to  thousands, 
because  his  particular  and  limited  theory  of  the 
universe  did  not  permit  him  even  to  conceive  of  its 
possibility.  We  have  noted  all  along  in  this  volume 
that  life  is  an  experiment,  subject  to  the  unexpected 

173 


1 74  *  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

appearance  of  entirely  new  combinations  of  events, 
both  mental  and  physical. 

Self-consistency  is  another  accepted  test.'  Yet  al- 
though Reality  must  surely  be  self-consistent,  also 
the  system  which  adequately  describes  it,  no  thinker 
has  yet  been  able  to  rise  to  the  plane  of  this  far-reach- 
ing consistency  and  avoid  in  his  statements  the  obvi- 
ously inconsistent.  Systems  which  do  justice  to  the 
self-consistency  of  the  whole,  as  such,  fail  to  do  equal 
justice  to  the  parts.  On  the  other  hand,  pluralistic 
systems  fall  equally  short  of  attaining  satisfactory  un- 
ity. Every  philosopher  believes  that  the  total  whole 
is  somehow  one,  but  the  problem  of  the  one  and  the 
many  —  the  ultimate  relation  of  free,  finite,  ethical 
individuals  to  the  Supreme  Spirit  —  is  still  unsolved. 
The  spiritual  vision  perceives  this  diversity  in  unity 
as  an  organically  perfect  whole,  but  the  intellect  is 
not  yet  able  to  rationalise  all  that  the  spirit  sees. 

Objective  evidence  has  been  proposed.  But  that 
meets  the  demands  of  the  realist  only,  and  realism 
has  been  again  and  again  refuted.*  Subjective  evi- 
dence is  the  criterion  of  some,  but  obviously  both 
objective  and  subjective  demands  must  be  met.  It 
is  hard  to  refute  some  forms  of  subjectivism.  But 
no  philosophic  task  is  easier  than  to  riddle  the 
claims  of  mysticism.  On  the  face  of  it,  the  mystic's 
subjective  claim  is  illogical  and  finite  ;  he  mistakes 
his  own  spiritual  emotion  for  the  great  whole  ;  he 

^  See  Bradley,  Appearance  and  Reality^  p.  136. 
^  See  Royce,  The  World  and  the  Individual,  Lecture  III.     Mac- 
laillan,  &  Co.,  1900. 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  1 75 

overlooks  ethical  distinctions  and  the  ultimate  sig- 
nificance of  individuality. 

In  India,  philosophy  has  always  been  inseparable 
from  religion,  and  has  lacked  that  **  critical  consider- 
ation of  reason  by  itself,**  which,  as  Windleband  tells 
us,  is  the  very  essence  of  philosophy  as  defined  by 
Kant.  It  has  always  delighted  in  just  those  explan- 
ations (which,  like  maya,  do  not  explain)  which 
the  Western  thinker  seeks  to  eliminate.  While, 
therefore.  Oriental  contemplation  has  a  lesson  to 
teach,  it  is  sure  never  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
Occidental  reason. 

Agnosticism  is  only  a  halting-place  in  philosophy : 
it  satisfies  neither  the  head  nor  the  heart.  No  lover 
of  philosophic  wisdom  is  likely  to  rest  content  with 
the  mere,  unresolved  data  of  the  special  sciences. 
And  theology  has  long  ago  forfeited  its  right  to 
furnish  a  criterion.^ 

'*  The  unanimous  consensus  of  the  competent  " 
has  been  strongly  urged  as  the  necessary  criterion,' 
and  doubtless  this  is  the  criterion  of  the  special 
sciences.  It  is  very  generally  recognised  that  an 
observer  must  not  rest  content  with  his  own  experi- 
ments and  conclusions  alone,  but  submit  them  to 
comparative  tests.  But  when  it  comes  to  philosophy. 
Who  is  to  decide  upon  the  competent  ?  That  which 
is  undesirable  in  a  special  science,  namely,  individual 

*  For  an  able  discussion  of  other  criteria,  see  Professor  James, 
The  Will  to  Believe^  pp.  63-110. 

.^F.  E.  Abbot,  Scientific  Theism,  1888  ;    The  Way  Out  of  Agnos- 
ticism^ 1890.     Little,  Brown,  &  Co.,  Boston. 


1 76  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

bias,  is  oftentimes  the  very  life  of  philosophy.  It 
is  the  philosopher's  duty  to  develop  his  tempera- 
mental insight  to  the  full.  Philosophers  still  differ 
so  radically  that  there  are  no  competent.  If 
there  were  such  a  body,  it  would  need  a  critic  of  its 
methods  and  results,  who  would  himself  stand  in 
need  of  a  moderator.  And  so  to  the  end  of  time 
a  larger  criterion  would  be  needed  than  the  mere 
consensus  of  the  competent. 

At  the  same  time  it  is  worth  while  to  follow  this 
method  as  far  as  possible,  as  thus  succinctly  stated  by 
Dr.  Abbot,  in  his  address  before  the  World's  Parlia- 
ment of  Religions : 

**  (i)  Individual  observation  of  facts;  (2)  individual 
hypothesis  to  explain  them ;  (3)  individual  verifica- 
tion of  this  hypothesis  by  fresh  observation;  (4) 
universal  observation  through  publication  of  the 
individual's  results ;  (5)  universal  hypothesis  through 
modification  of  these  results  by  criticism  ;  (6)  univer- 
sal verification  of  the  modified  hypothesis  attested 
by  the  consensus  of  the  competent." 

Recently,  a  sect  has  appeared  in  America  which 
assumes  that  the  metaphysical  point  of  view  is 
synonymous  with  its  practical  doctrine, — the  phi- 
losophy of  mental  healing.  And  so  the  term  **  new 
metaphysics  "  has  come  colloquially  to  mean  simply 
a  system  of  therapeutics  and  practical  idealism. 
This  is  obviously  an  inaccurate  use  of  terms.  All 
practical  idealism  is  of  course  included  in  the  meta- 
physical world,  but  all  the  data  of  the  wide  universe 
are  also  included.     To  select  a  specific  application 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  177 

and  call  that  **  the  metaphysical  point  of  view  "  is 
like  choosing  the  French  language  and  calling  that 
the  linguistic  point  of  view.  Other  members  of  the 
Indo-European  group  have  a  right  to  be  heard,  the 
Semitic  branch  of  the  Aryan  family,  the  agglutinated 
and  monosyllabic  tongues,  etc. 

What  the  problems  of  metaphysics  or  philosophy 
are,  we  have  already  noted  in  the  foregoing  chapter. 
It  is  clear  from  these  that  this  science  of  sciences  is 
primarily  theoretical ;  it  deals  with  the  universe  as  a 
whole  as  compared  with  any  specific  science  which, 
like  geolog}^  is  confined  to  one  branch  of  knowledge 
simply.  A  mere  geologist  or  a  mere  mental  healer 
is  not  a  philosopher,  for  a  philosopher  is  wholly 
non-partisan.  Philosophy  is  knowledge  of  the  uni- 
verse for  its  own  sake.  Strictly  speaking,  it  has  al- 
ways been  abstract,  metaphysical.  With  Hegel,  for 
example,  it  was  the  science  of  the  absolute  consid- 
ered in  the  light  of  its  logical  evolution.  However 
far  its  practical  application  may  be  carried,there  will 
always  be  a  demand  for  a  science  which  goes  yet 
farther  and  impartially  considers  the  abstract  result. 

The  disciple  of  the  '*  new  metaphysics,'*  for 
example,  looks  only  for  the  good.  It  is  his  occupa- 
tion to  emphasise  the  positive,  or  optimistic  side  in 
order  to  persuade  the  mind  to  discard  its  false  be- 
liefs. And  this  is  no  doubt  a  practical  necessity. 
But  for  the  thorough-going  philosopher  the  truth  in 
pessimism  must  be  as  gladly  welcomed  as  the  truth 
in  optimism.  He  cannot,  as  metaphysician,  ignore 
facts  because  by  so  doing  he  may  heal  somebody. 


1 78  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

He  must  read  the  story  of  life  as  it  is,  omitting  no 
chapter.  When  the  time  comes  to  live  his  philos- 
ophy, his  practical  idealism  will  be  untrue  unless  it 
can  affirm  its  ideals  despite  the  darkest  facts,  thus 
winning  the  supreme  triumph  of  philosophic  insight. 
This  is,  of  course,  the  ideal  which  the  **  new  meta- 
physics *'  is  seeking  to  realise. 

Yet  having  now  insisted  on  the  demands  of  pure 
metaphysics  as  truth  for  its  own  sake,  regardless  of 
its  practical  value,  it  is  time  to  recognise  the  sug- 
gestive fact  that  the  practical  motive  has  always 
been  a  starting-point  for  the  philosophical  good. 
F.  C.  S.  Schiller  is  the  most  strenuous  chronicler  of 
this  fact  in  his  very  valuable  Riddles  of  the  Sphinx,^ 
Windleband  points  out  that  philosophy  was  known 
even  in  Greek  times  as  **  the  practical  meaning  of 
an  art  of  life,  based  upon  scientific  principles,*'  the 
striving  after  virtue,  and  the  rational  pursuit  of  hap- 
piness (Epicurus).  The  philosophical  motive  has, 
in  fact,  widely  varied,  being  sometimes  naturalistic, 
sometimes  sceptical,  again  pertaining  wholly  to  the 
inner  life  or  to  logical  deduction.  It  still  remains 
true,  however,  that  a  philosopher  is  not  genuinely 
such  unless  he  is  willing  to  pass  beyond  these  incep- 
tive motives  to  the  universal  ideal  of  metaphysical 
truth  for  its  own  sake.  One  who,  like  Lewes,'* 
writes  two  volumes  to  prove  that  philosophy  is  im- 
possible is  no  philosopher. 

^  Swann,  Sonnenschein,  &  Co.,  1891. 

^  Biographical  History  of  Philosophy,  iQYisQd.  Qdiiiion.     Appleton* 

1888. 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  1 79 

It  needs  no  further  argument,  then,  to  show  that 
philosophy  takes  us  into  the  wide  world  of  the  uni- 
versal. Philosophical  truth  must  fulfil  all  rational 
criteria,  all  demands  which  may  be  made  upon  it. 
It  must  not  only  explain  life,  or  show  conclusively 
why  life  cannot  be  explained,  it  must  not  only  be 
consistent  and  meet  both  the  demands  of  our  inner 
nature  and  the  rationalised  data  of  physical  sense, 
but  be  capable  of  practical  application  and  have 
something  to  say  concerning  the  future  and  the 
conception  of  immortality.  As  embracing  not 
merely  epistemology,  cosmology,  and  psychology, 
but  ethics  and  the  bases  of  religion,^  it  must  be  a 
practical  clue  to  the  meaning  of  life  for  every  in- 
dividual. It  ought  to  appeal  both  to  the  head  and 
to  the  heart,  telling  me  not  only  what  is  true,  but 
what  is  beautiful  and  good. 

Such  is  the  ideal,  and  as  high  as  it  may  be,  it  is 
evident  that  philosophical  truth  will  never  be  found 
unless  the  demand  for  it  be  conscientiously  rigorous. 
From  this  point  of  view,  the  objection  to  religious 
creeds  and  theories  founded  on  insight  alone,  is  the 
claim  they  make  to  have  solved  the  riddle  of  the 
universe.  If  you  raise  intellectual  objections  they 
will  either  assure  you  that  these  things  cannot  be 
understood  by  the  reason,  and  therefore  the  in- 
tellect is  forever  inferior,  or  they  will  dismiss  the 
whole   problem    by   some  dogmatic  reply.      Their 

^  It  is  clear  from  the  arguments  of  Professor  Royce  in  The  World 
and  the  Individual  that  theology  must  henceforth  rest  on  a  meta- 
physical conception  of  Reality. 


i8o  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

advocates  are  not  content  to  throw  light  on  the 
points  which  their  specialty  illumines,  frankly  say- 
ing, **  Beyond  this  we  do  not  know/*  They  offer 
ignorance-concealing  formulas  which  assume  to  be 
universal  solvents,  as  if  a  poor  answer  were  better 
than  sincerity.  The  genuine  philosopher  would  say, 
**  The  future  history  of  philosophy  is  the  only 
authority  capable  of  answering  that  question/* 

If  we  have  only  hopes  to  offer,  let  us  therefore 
frankly  confess  it,  and  not  pretend  to  know,  for 
philosophy  brooks  no  dogmatism.  If,  as  Huxley 
once  admitted,  our  most  assured  scientific  results 
are  only  hypotheses  of  a  highly  probable  character, 
then  publish  this  fact  universally.  If  the  world 
owns  possibilities,  chances,  do  not  talk  knowingly 
about  fate.  Let  your  **  x  **  be  known  as  such,  and 
if  you  are  an  agnostic  do  not  parade  as  a  gnostic. 

In  philosophy,  any  man*s  thought  is  instructive 
who  will  sincerely  and  logically  maintain  a  point  of 
view,  even  if  it  be  subversive  of  ethics,  for  example, 
the  precept,  **  all  is  good.'*  Such  a  point  of  view  is 
instructive  because  it  brings  into  bold  relief  the 
ethical  criteria  of  right  and  wrong,  because  it  is  un- 
true to  the  facts  of  organic  evolution.  Yet  the 
moment  the  advocate  of  such  a  doctrine  begins  to 
dogmatise,  to  assume  some  occult  point  of  view  from 
which  all  is  said  to  be  absolutely  good,  philosophical 
discussion  necessarily  ceases.^ 

^  For  really  philosophical  theories  of  ethics,  consult  such  works  as 
Martineau,  Types  of  Ethical  Theory  (Macmillan,  1891) ;  Green, 
Prolegomena  to  Ethics  (Clarendon  Press,  Oxford,  1890). 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  i8i 

The  failure  of  many  metaphysicians  to  make  a 
successful  application  of  their  speculations  about 
life  is  doubtless  due  to  this  dogmatic  clinging  to  an 
absolute  point  of  view  —  in  face  of  the  fact  that  all 
our  knowledge  is  concrete  and  relative.  It  is  cus- 
tomary with  theorists  of  this  class  to  start  with  an 
artificially  devised  premise  concerning  absolute  per- 
fection, then,  declaring  that  naught  else  exists,  turn 
to  the  world  of  struggle  and  sorrow,  and  term  it  a 
*'  shadow,'*  or  the  *'  absence  of  light.*'  Conse- 
quently, it  is  a  logical  procedure  to  develop  a  system 
of  abstract  affirmations  in  order  to  disabuse  the  mind 
of  its  illusions,  to  declare  that  they  are  **  errors  *' 
having  no  power. 

The  concrete  philosopher  begins  with  this  present 
evolving  world  as  he  finds  it,  then  asks  what  sort  of 
Reality  must  exist  in  order  to  give  rise  to  just  this 
struggling  mass  of  beings  and  things.  The  better 
he  knows  the  world,  the  more  knowledge  he  has  of 
its  laws,  its  evolution,  and  its  ideals,  the  greater  will 
be  his  knowledge  of  its  logical  cause.  Only  as  he 
proceeds  directly  from  the  facts  of  the  world  back 
to  the  Cause  immediately  behind  or  within  them 
can  he  hope  to  develop  a  sound  theory  of  Reality. 
He  knows  nothing  about  Reality  as  an  undifferenti- 
ated mass,  a  shoreless  ocean  of  undisturbed  peace. 
For  him  the  cause  of  things  is  active  in  precisely 
these  present  conflicts  through  which  humanity  is 
being  perfected.  He  knows  Spirit  only  as  accom- 
plishing somewhat,  as  welling  into  manifestation 
through   the   rock,    the   unicellular   organism,   the 


1 82  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms,  civilisation,  intel- 
lect, morality,  art,  education,  religion,  service,  the 
Christ.  Of  Spirit  unmanifested,  at  rest,  or  apart 
from  force,  feeling,  thought,  he  has  no  conception 
and  needs  none.  Spirit  for  him  is  simply  the  life  of 
all  that  lives,  the  power  active  in  all  force,  physical, 
mental,  moral,  and  spiritual. 

Of  perfection  he  therefore  knows  only  what  the 
present  life  reveals,  both  as  actually  accomplished 
and  as  prophetically  revealed  in  human  conscious- 
ness. He  describes  Spirit  as  occupied  in  working 
out  high  ideals  of  harmony  or  beauty  through  all 
the  ills  we  suffer,  the  errors  we  think,  and  the 
triumphs  we  win.  He  reasons  that  Spirit  must 
know  and  be  actively  present  in  all  this,  since  other- 
wise there  would  be  no  divine  consciousness  at  all, 
nothing  to  do,  no  reason  to  exist. 

When  in  search  of  a  practical  remedy,  he  there- 
fore turns,  not  to  an  imaginary  realm  of  supercon- 
scious  abstraction  to  seek  divine  oneness  in  a  vague, 
general  way.  Knowing  that  the  Father  is  active  in 
his  aches  and  pains,  he  seeks  to  remove  the  obstacle 
in  mind  and  body,  that  harmony  may  be  attained. 
He  seeks  co-operative  adjustment  with  the  divine 
activity  in  the  disturbed  region.  He  thinks  back 
of  that  to  its  cause,  turning  his  consciousness  from 
the  painful  sensation  to  the  ideal  which  the  Father 
is  realising  there,  the  ideal  of  health  or  harmony. 
Thus  his  thinking  is  concrete  from  start  to  finish. 
Thus  does  he  justify  more  and  more  the  practical 
criterion  as  one  of  the  necessary  tests  of  truth. 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  183 

Ordinarily,  however,  one  seldom  meets  those  who 
so  faithfully  combine  two  of  our  accepted  criteria — 
consistency  and  practicality.  The  majority  with 
whom  one  discusses  these  matters  seem  to  allege  as 
excuse  **  We  will  not  count  this  time:  this  is  the 
exception  that  proves  the  rule/*  The  same  incon- 
sistency is  found  among  nations.  In  times  of  peace, 
disarmament  and  other  fine  ideals  are  discussed,  but 
in  war  time  martial  law  permits  what  would  on  other 
occasions  be  deemed  a  crime.  Christianity  incul- 
cates non-resistance,  but  this  rule  is  only  occasion- 
ally applied. 

Let  us,  however,  examine  for  a  moment  the 
credentials  of  consistency.  One  might  generalise 
thus :  Every  statement  must  be  immediately  quali- 
fied by  its  exceptions.  But  if  this  generalisation  be 
true,  this  statement  has  no  exceptions.  Once 
more,  therefore,  it  is  the  exception  which  proves 
the  rule. 

Of  what  value,  then,  is  a  rule  if  it  have  excep- 
tions ?  It  is  of  value  in  so  far  as  we  know  the 
exceptions.  The  rule  applies  to  one  set  of  condi- 
tions only.  The  exceptions  hold  only  under 
changed  conditions. 

To  illustrate,  take  the  rule,  **  Resist  not  evil." 
It  is  argued  that  the  principle  is  valueless  unless  it 
be  absolute.  But  consider  how  much  depends  on 
the  definition  of  evil,  and  the  theory  concerning  its 
origin  and  meaning.  Evidently,  the  rule  is  to  apply 
only  under  certain  conditions,  and  we  must  first  un- 
derstand the  conditions  before  we  can  apply  the  rule 


1 84  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

There  may  be  times  when  it  is  wisest  to  let  the 
thief  take  the  cloak  also.  But  is  it  wise  to  let  the 
evils  of  society  pass  and  make  no  effort  to  overcome 
them  ?  **  Overcome  evil  with  good/*  the  rule  goes 
on  to  say.  In  other  words,  it  is  a  question  of  what 
motive  to  obey.  There  is  a  right  and  a  wrong  way 
of  resisting  evil.  We  must  discriminate  between 
our  impulses,  now  obeying,  now  inhibiting.  We 
are  not  called  upon  impassively  to  accept  all  that 
comes,  complacently  declaring  that  **  Whatever  is, 
is  right."  We  must  always  resist  something.  It  is 
only  a  question  of  what. 

And  so  our  moral  consistency  is  dependent  upon 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  under  which  now  this 
motive  is  to  rule  and  now  that.  Generally  speaking, 
it  may  be  wrong  to  tell  a  lie.  But  conditions  are 
conceivable  under  which  it  might  be  justifiable  to 
tell  a  lie  to  save  a  life.  For  instance,  in  order  to 
rescue  an  innocent  person  from  a  would-be  murderer. 
In  this  case  moral  consistency  lies  in  fidelity  to  the 
greater  good.  It  would  be  immoral  to  tell  the 
truth,  alleging  as  excuse  that  truth-telling  is  an 
absolute  rule.  It  would  be  perfectly  moral  to  tell 
a  lie. 

Nature  offers  precisely  such  illustrations  of  seem- 
ing inconsistency  amidst  consistency.  The  apple 
obeys  gravity  and  falls,  provided  only  that  some- 
one does  not  tie  it  on  or  pick  it  from  the  tree.  Ice 
melts,  but  only  under  certain  conditions  of  tem- 
perature. Action  and  reaction  are  equal,  but  an 
unforeseen  factor  may  enter  in  to  mar  a  planned 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  185 

result.  The  law  is  as  true  as  ever.  The  modified 
result  springing  from  an  intervening  cause  is  an  ad- 
ditional proof  of  it. 

Cautious  philosophical  consistency  therefore  says: 
**  This  is  truth  for  me  to-day,  but  I  may  have  more 
light  to-morrow,  in  which  case  I  shall  doubtless  be 
compelled  to  modify  my  views;  for  I  value  truth 
more  than  a  fixed  creed,  or  consistency  purchased 
at  the  expense  of  progress.  If  it  be  a  choice  be- 
tween consistency  of  statement  and  fidelity  to  truth, 
I  choose  the  latter  form  of  consistency.*' 

Obey  your  rule  where  it  applies,  follow  your  logic 
as  far  as  it  specifically  leads,  but  remember  that  all 
specific  logic,  every  rule,  is  relative.  When  you 
reach  a  limit  ask.  What  is  next  ?  What  is  needed 
to  supply  the  deficiencies  ?  If  you  find  that  a  rule 
which,  like  **  all  is  good,"  sets  out  to  be  moral  and 
logically  winks  at  immorality,  is  inadequate,  seek 
the  rule  which  modifies  and  supplements  it.  If  you 
discover  that  a  theory,  like  pantheism,  logically  and 
universally  carried  out  denies  existence  to  one  half 
of  life,  seek  the  truth  in  it  by  comparison  with  other 
demands  of  reason  and  the  heart,  supply  the  missing 
half.  If  you  find  this  chapter  dry  and  technical, 
remember  the  more  spiritual  portions  of  our  discus- 
sion, and  so  supplement  intellect  by  the  Spirit. 

In  the  end,  our  philosophy  must  be  broad  enough 
to  include  and  harmonise  all  inadequacies,  seeming 
inconsistencies,  and  paradoxes.  If  they  cannot  as 
yet  be  united  as  one  whole,  they  should  be  held 
in  experimental  solution.       Empiricism,   even  the 


1 86  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

radical  empiricism  of  Professor  James/  is  always 
preferable  to  dogmatic  or  artificial  monism,  the  as- 
sumption that  **  all  is  one  **  without  rational  evi- 
dence for  this  basic  statement. 

The  philosopher  delights  in  the  construction  of  a 
theoretically  perfect  system  of  metaphysics — which 
convinces  only  himself.  But  as  surely  as  meta- 
physics originated  in  the  two-fold  motive  of  truth 
for  its  own  sake  and  truth  for  the  sake  of  utility,  so 
surely  must  the  practical  tendency  be  the  critic  of 
the  speculative.  The  chief  point  of  this  chapter  is 
that  no  wholly  sound,  merely  speculative  system  of 
philosophy  is  possible.  All  speculative  metaphysics 
must  be  supplemented  by  the  higher  spiritual  in- 
sights and  spontaneous  experiences  of  the  soul. 

It  has  been  argued  again  and  again  that  reason  is 
the  only  test  of  truth.  But  one  may  prove  anything 
by  argument  and  make  it  reasonable.  Your  logic 
may  prove  an  event  impossible :  the  next  moment 
you  may  experience  that  which  was  declared  impos- 
sible. I  once  heard  the  president  of  a  university 
**  prove  '*  that  thought  transference  could  not  pos- 
sibly occur ! 

Common  sense  long  ago  adopted  experience  as  a 
test  of  truth.  In  deepest  truth,  we  know  a  principle 
to  be  sound  only  when  we  have  applied  it  in  actual 
life.  Out  of  the  concrete,  all  the  data  of  reason 
have  come;  to  the  concrete,  reason  must  again  and 
again  be  applied  to  see  if  it  adequately  describes. 
Experience  contradicts,    verifies,    or   modifies  and 

1  The  Will  to  Believe, 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  187 

enlarges  reason;  reason  must  interpret  and  test 
experience. 

It  has  been  assumed  that  intuition  infallibly,  or  by 
some  occult  law  of  inspiration  or  revelation,  tells  us 
what  is  truth.  But  we  have  already  noted  that  no 
revelation  is  so  pure  that  it  is  not  defiled  by  the 
relativity  and  state  of  development  of  the  medium 
through  which  it  comes.  What  is  to  eliminate  these 
defilements  but  further  experience  tested  by  reason  ? 
What  alleged  revelation  has  ever  been  accepted  as 
entirely  true,  or  consistent,  even  by  **  the  consensus 
of  the  competent  **  ?  The  theologians  of  one  school 
may  deem  themselves  competent.  But  what  of  the 
thousand  other  sects  whose  leaders  can  also  quote 
scripture  ? 

A  revelation  is  true  only  for  the  man  who  proves 
it  in  his  own  life,  and  then  only  true  for  him.  No 
other  can  see  it  precisely  as  he  does,  because  no 
other  man  has  had  precisely  his  experience.  In  this 
profound  fact  we  have  found  the  chief  reason  why 
the  elective  system  should  prevail  in  education,  why 
every  man  should  make  it  his  supreme  purpose  in 
life  individually  to  discover  and  manifest  the  Spirit. 

If  you  ask  a  person  whose  life  is  ruled  by  intui- 
tion for  an  experimental  test,  somehow  the  faculty 
fails  to  act  just  then:  it  functions  spontaneously. 
Again  and  again  we  hear  such  people  say  that  prob- 
ably they  were  mistaken  this  time,  or  that  self  crept 
in  and  marred  the  result.  Somehow  the  revelations 
of  different  seers  do  not  harmonise.  Obviously, 
there   is   no   faculty  in  the  human  being   whether 


1 88  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

intuition,  reason,  or  conscience,  which,  upon  com- 
mand, always  and  unmistakably  tells  us  what  is  right 
or  true.  In  the  last  analysis,  we  must  reserve  a 
place  for  that  transcendent  spiritual  experience 
which  no  power  of  self-consciousness  can  control, 
and  to  which  no  writer  has  ever  done  justice. 

The  co-operation  of  all  our  faculties  guided, 
tested,  and  enlarged  by  many-sided,  progressive  ex- 
perience can  alone  answer  Pilate's  question,  **  What 
is  truth  ?  *'  Even  then  it  is  open  to  the  sceptic  of 
sceptics  to  doubt  whether  our  empirical  constitution 
really  corresponds  to  the  reality  of  things.  Such  a 
one  may  at  last  say  only  **  I  believe  it  does/'  or 
**  This  is  probably  the  truth." 

It  is  philosophically  justifiable  to  disbelieve  as 
long  as  one  can.  **  All  will  to  believe  is  reason  to 
doubt  ...  all  desire  to  doubt  is  reason  to  be- 
lieve,'' says  R^c^jac  in  his  admirable  essay  on  mystic 
symbolism.'  Sometimes  it  seems  as  if  we  must 
for  ever  continue  in  search  of  truth,  but  never  find 
it.  '*  Ever  not  quite."  Ever  hypothesis,  experi- 
ment, result ;  fresh  observation,  modified  hypothesis, 
fresh  experiment,  new  result,  pointing  to  further 
modification  ad  infinitum.  Such  is  at  once  the  fate 
and  the  delight  of  the  philosophical  game. 

We  expect  to  understand  experience.  But  we 
know  only  through  contrast,  and  at  present  we  can- 
not transcend  experience  to  find  somewhat  with 
which  to  contrast  it,  although  psychical  research  is 

^  Bases  of  Mystic  Knowledge,  translated  by  S.  C.  Upton.  Scrib- 
ners,  1899. 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  189 

fast  learning  the  secrets  of  peering  —  not  into  im- 
mortality— but  the  next  realm  of  spiritual  existence. 

We  ask  to  know  what  nature  is,  in  itself,  but  how 
is  this  possible  when  we  know  it  only  as  it  affects 
our  consciousness  ?  In  the  future  state  we  shall 
probably  know  it  in  a  manner  sufficiently  unlike  our 
present  mode  of  sense  perception  to  afford  instruc- 
tive contrasts.  But  we  shall  still  know  it  through 
the  media  of  finite  consciousness. 

We  seek  the  meaning  of  all  facts,  but  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  settle  upon  a  fact ;  for  evidence  that  might 
suit  one  class  of  observers  would  very  likely  fail  to 
convince  another  class.  If  all  that  exists  is  inter- 
related, universal  knowledge  is  required  to  interpret 
one  atom,  or  one  idea,  as  Tennyson  has  poetically 
suggested  in  his  **  Flower  in  the  crannied  wall.'* 

Again,  one  of  our  criteria  demands  that  objections 
shall  be  raised  as  long  as  rationally  possible,  but 
how  many  are  really  competent  to  raise  objections 
to  a  system  of  metaphysics  ?  Surely,  those  only 
who  have  reflected  their  temperaments  to  ultimate 
self-knowledge.  But  this  is  a  progressive  task,  and 
the  varieties  of  temperaments  may  not  yet  be  ex- 
hausted. Who  is  great  enough  to  transcend  and 
unify  all  temperaments  ?  God,  do  you  say  ?  But 
it  is  man  who  demands  to  know  all  truth.  Even 
the  belief  in  absolute  divine  truth  is  an  altar  to  an 
unknown  god,  for  each  individual  owns  a  distinctive 
point  of  view  which,  as  such,  must  always  be  his 
own  possession.* 

^  I  have  argued  this  in  Voices  of  Freedom y  chapter  vi. 


I90  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

Some  philosophers  aim  to  be  rigidly  scientific. 
But  where  are  the  higher  sentiments  which  leap  be- 
yond exact  thought  ?  Is  not  the  higher  a  part  of 
life,  and  must  we  not  live  it  in  order  to  know  it  ? 

Have  we  disproved  the  possibility  of  philosophy 
by  this  long  enumeration  of  difficulties  ?  Not  at  all. 
The  difficulties  are  not  as  great  as  they  appear  at  first 
sight.  No  result  is  valueless  to  philosophy,  even 
the  attempt  to  be  an  absolute  sceptic.  The  philoso- 
pher learns  as  much  from  failure  as  from  success,  and 
acute  analysis  of  the  limitations  of  human  knowledge 
throws  as  much  positive  light  on  our  present  prob- 
lem as  it  does  upon  the  mystery  of  pain  and  evil. 

Some  students  of  philosophy  expect  to  prove  too 
much.  The  young  enthusiast  thinks  he  can  prove 
the  existence  of  God.  How  is  this  possible  if  God 
is  the  basis  of  existence  itself,  and  therefore  involved 
in  the  very  premise  with  which  our  logic  begins  ? 
The  utmost  the  mind  can  do  is  to  give  reasons  for 
believing  in  God,  after  his  existence  has  been  stated 
or  discovered.  In  other  words,  his  existence  is  one 
of  those  necessary  presuppositions  which  philosophy 
can  only  justify  and  render  intelligible;  just  as  at 
the  outset  of  this  volume  we  discovered  that  we 
must  start  with  the  universe  as  a  gift  of  experience, 
an  *'  enigma,'*  if  you  will,  but  at  the  same  time  an 
intelligible  system  whose  laws  and  evolution  man 
can  understand. 

We  are  unable  to  prove  our  existence,  for  we 
already  exist  when  we  start  to  prove  it.  We  cannot 
show  how  the  universe   came  to  be,  since  we  are' 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  191 

unable  to  transcend  the  fact  of  its  present  existence 
as  a  complex  mass  of  forces  whose  energy  is  per- 
petually conserved.  **  How  there  comes  to  be 
existence  as  all/*  says  Professor  Seth/  and  how 
existence  in  its  basal  characteristics  comes  to  be 
what  it  is — these  are  questions  which,  so  far  as  one 
can  see,  omniscience  itself  would  not  enable  us  to 
answer."  We  cannot,  then,  as  Hume  has  shown, 
know  true  causality.  So  far  as  we  can  see.  Being 
with  its  universe — some  universe — is  eternal.  Ex- 
perience is  probably  the  result  of  an  existence  which 
could  be  experienced  were  we  able  to  transcend 
finite  life  and  become  infinite;  for  **  that  without 
which  experience  is  impossible,  cannot  be  the  result 
of  experience,  though  it  must  never  be  applied  be- 
yond the  limits  of  possible  experience.*'  * 

Yet  again,  what  we  fully  are,  as  souls,  we  do  not 
know,  because  we  are  unable  to  transcend  ourselves 
as  parts  (which  we  clearly  are)  and  grasp  ourselves 
from  the  point  of  view  of  that  which  includes  us. 
Nor  can  we  look  beyond  our  moral  natures  to  ascer- 
tain how  far,  or  to  prove  that  we  are  really  free. 
We  must  start  with  the  fact  that  we  are  morally 
free,  since  otherwise  life  would  have  no  meaning, 
and  ethics  would  be  impossible.^  Our  great  resource 
is  always  to  ask  what  life  is  now,  what  is  the  wisdom 
of  the  situation,  and  what  life  may  become  through 
the  righteous  conduct  of  men. 

^  Man's  Place  in  the  Cosmos^  p.  163. 

*  Max  Mailer's  Kanfs  Critique  of  Pure  Reasony  xlvi. 

8  Voices  of  Freedom^  chapters  iii.  and  iv. 


192  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

Thus  the  horizon  clears  when  we  understand  the 
nature  of  our  problem.  While  we  look  at  the  prob- 
lem only  in  a  negative  way,  complaining  that  we 
cannot  logically  prove  the  existence  of  God,  nor 
explain  how  the  first  beginning  (there  was  no  such 
beginning)  began,  the  philosophical  prospect  seems 
exceedingly  dubious.  But  when  we  learn  that  there 
is  somewhat  which  transcends  proof,  we  are  in  a 
position  to  develop  an  all-round  system.  Then,  for 
the  first  time,  the  spontaneous  revelations  within 
the  individual  soul  begin  to  assume  due  importance. 

We  should,  therefore,  always  remember  to  distin- 
guish between  ideas  which  (i)  must  be  taken  as  gifts 
of  experience,  such  as  Reality,  freedom,  the  soul, 
immortality,  experience ;  and  (2)  ideas  susceptible  of 
logical  and  experiential  proof.  A  closed  system  of 
philosophy  in  which  every  proposition  shall  be 
proved  is  obviously  impossible.  But  a  system  in 
which  every  idea  shall  be  made  rationally  intel- 
ligible is,  however,  within  the  limits  not  only  of  the 
possible  but  of  the  probable. 

While,  then,  we  ought  always  to  continue  our  in- 
vestigations and  rigorously  apply  the  tests  of  truth, 
doing  our  utmost  both  to  avoid  error  and  to  keep 
open  minds,  we  should  at  the  same  time  remember 
these  necessary  limitations.  As  we  shall  see  in  the 
next  chapter,  it  is  our  limitations  which  enable  us 
to  do  our  work  as  organic  parts  of  the  universe. 
These  limitations  once  understood,  we  find  ourselves 
in  a  position  to  begin  in  earnest  the  great  work  of 
realising  the  philosophical  ideal.     What  at  one  time 


The  Cntcn3\i^Jj^^K^y     193 


seemed  to  be  an  insuperable  difficulty  proves  to  be 
of  positive  value  when  seen  in  its  true  light. 

Taking  a  glance  over  the  whole  field,  we  may 
sum  up  the  criteria  of  truth  as  follows :  Philosophic 
truth  in  its  ultimate  sense  is  self-consistent,  but  this 
self-consistency  often  lies  far  below  the  surface 
which  it  apparently  contradicts.  It  meets  the 
reasonable,  mutually  supplementary  demands  of 
realism  and  idealism,  the  head  and  the  heart,  intel- 
lect and  intuition,  and  is  at  once  valuable  for  its 
own  sake  and  because  of  its  utility.  Reason  is  its 
most  useful  criterion,  yet  experience  is  its  most  im- 
portant corrective.  It  must  never  overlook  the  most 
distinctive  revelations  of  individuality,  yet  must  be 
equally  faithful  to  the  universal.  It  is  an  organic 
totality  to  which  all  phases  of  thought  and  life  con- 
tribute their  share ;  in  its  pursuit  every  man  must 
give  play  to  the  highest  side  of  his  nature.  It  is 
progressive,  and  can  only  be  progressively  revealed. 
It  is  eternal  and  may,  happily,  for  ever  be  sought 
without  permitting  itself  to  be  fully  grasped. 

While  we  are  engaged  in  the  long  process  of  de- 
veloping a  universal  system,  there  is  one  criterion 
which  is  always  to  be  kept  closely  in  sight:  phi- 
losophy ought  always  to  benefit  conduct.  Reality 
is  what  we  feel,  not  merely  what  we  think  about. 
**  If  we  were  purely  thinking  beings,*'  says  F.  CrS. 
Schiller,  **  [agnosticism]  would  obviously  be  the  right 
attitude  toward  matters  unknown.  But  as  we  have 
also  to  act,  and  as  action  r^quirts  practical  certainty 

.    .    .    no  agnostic  can  live  for  five  minutes  without 
13 


194  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

indulging  in  acts  involving  a  belief  or  disbelief  in 
some  of  the  unknowables  he  had  solemnly  for- 
sworn/' * 

**  Beliefs  are  rules  for  action/'  says  Professor 
James/  **  and  the  whole  function  of  thinking  is  but 
one  step  in  the  production  of  habits  of  action. 
.  .  .  What  exact  thing  do  you  practically  mean 
by  *  One/  when  you  call  the  universe  One  ?  is  the 
first  question  you  must  ask.  In  what  ways  does  the 
oneness  come  home  to  your  own  personal  life  ? 
How  can  you  act  differently  toward  a  universe 
which  is  one  ?  '* 

The  answer  to  this  question  we  have  been  con- 
sidering throughout  these  pages.  It  is  the  fully 
educated,  spiritual,  social  life,  of  equanimity  yet  of 
service,  of  self-control  yet  of  self-expression,  which 
is  the  real  justification  of  a  profound  belief  in  life's 
unity.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  just  this  richly 
practical  life  which  furnishes  the  choicest  data  of 
progressively  constructive  philosophy. 

All  this,  you  say,  presupposes  much  knowledge, 
and  implies  that  one  is  deeply  in  earnest,  willing  to 
work  long  and  patiently,  and  that  one  already  pos- 
sesses a  general  knowledge  of  philosophic  thought. 
Yet  the  whole  matter  is  surprisingly  simple.  In 
each  of  us  is  the  clue  to  life's  profoundest  mystery. 
That  which  we  seek  to  know  is  not  something  out- 
side of  us.  No  power  can  come  to  us  from  without 
and  declare  the  truth.     It  must  be  perceived  in  one's 

*  Riddles  of  the  Sphinx. 

^  Philosophical  Conceptions  and  Practical  Results;^ 


The  Criteria  of  Truth  195 

own  mind.  Each  of  us  has  had  experience,  and  that 
is  enough.  The  essential  is  to  see  it  in  right  rela- 
tions. 

The  utmost  another  mind  may  do  for  you  is  to 
narrate  its  experiences  in  the  same  search.  And 
the  reason  why  some  have  advanced  so  much  be- 
yond others  is  that  instead  of  attending  many 
lectures  and  reading  many  books,  they  have  selected 
a  few  fundamental  principles  and  thought  upon  them 
day  and  night  to  some  individual  philosophical  con- 
clusion. Such  minds  will  give  you  in  a  few  words 
the  very  essence  of  their  system  of  practical  meta- 
physics. For  example,  Jesus*  saying,  **  Seek  first 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  .  .  .  and  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you.**  If  you  under- 
stand and  adopt  this  ideal,  nothing  more  is  needed 
but  to  live  it. 

One  is  constantly  overwhelmed  by  the  magnitude 
of  one's  task  in  the  endeavour  to  grasp  life's  mean- 
ing. Yet,  after  all,  it  is  the  one  task  that  calls  out 
all  that  is  in  us.  To  know  the  goodness  which 
dwells  within,  to  live  it  in  daily  life,  then  rationalise 
it,  this  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  it  all.  A  thou- 
sand theories  of  the  universe  may  be  formulated  by 
as  many  minds;  a  thousand  poets  may  sing  of  life 
as  it  appeals  to  them,  and  innumerable  species, 
forms,  forces,  and  substances  may  reveal  the  creat- 
ive power.  But  there  is  only  one  object  of  it  all, 
one  source  of  it  all,  one  Spirit  imbuing  it  all.  To 
know  this  Spirit  in  all  the  variety  of  life's  changing 
experiences,  this  is  the  simplicity  of  thought.     To 


196  The  Criteria  of  Truth 

carry  this  consciousness  into  every  hour  of  daily  toil, 
this  is  the  essence  of  righteous  conduct.  And  to  ap- 
peal directly  to  this  one  source  in  moments  of  doubt 
and  pain,  this  is  the  one  panacea  not  only  for  all 
trouble,  but  for  all  the  difficulties  of  philosophy. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ORGANIC    PERFECTION 

The  great  Idea  baffles  wit, 
Language  falters  under  it, 

— Emerson. 

FEW  facts  are  of  greater  significance  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  universe  than  the  discovery 
that  the  higher  forms  of  life  are  organic.  That  is, 
the  physical  being  is  not  a  mere  aggregation  of  pre- 
cisely similar  parts;  it  is  composed  of  differing 
organs  or  members  whose  functions  mutually  con- 
tribute to  the  well-being  and  development  of  the 
whole.  No  part  is  adequate  by  itself.  No  part  is 
independent.  The  existence  of  each  is  made  pos- 
sible through  the  co-presence  and  activity  of  all  the 
other  parts.  The  whole  is  a  society  of  related  in- 
dividuals, whose  utility  as  well  as  whose  beauty  is 
dependent  upon  limitation  and  co-operation. 

This  familiar  truth  is  unquestionably  the  nipst 
direct  clue  to  the  constitution  and  meaning  of  the 
highest  orders  of  life :  the  mental,  moral,  social,  and 
spiritual.  Its  significance  is  perfectly  clear,  so  far 
as  our  physical  existence  is  concerned.  But  we  are 
apt  to  neglect  the  bearing  of  this  profound  discovery 

197 


198  Organic  Perfection 

upon  the  problems  which  perplex  us  in  our  endeav- 
ours to  grasp  the  right  relationship  between  in- 
dividuals ;  we  do  not  realise  the  light  it  throws  upon 
our  obscure  contests  with  life,  upon  our  personal 
struggles,  and  the  problems  of  evil  and  injustice. 
In  this  chapter  I  shall  therefore  accept  the  guidance 
which  this  truth  offers,  develop  its  implications,  and 
seek  its  aid  in  solving  the  enigmas  of  our  social  life. 
From  the  outset  of  our  inquiry,  this  organic  rela- 
tionship of  mutually  dependent  parts  has  been  the 
implied  basis  both  of  education  and  philosophy. 
Every  domain  of  evolution  teaches  this  great  truth, 
without  which  our  modern  belief  in  the  unity  of 
things  would  be  impossible.  Education  is  utterly 
inadequate  unless  it  find  harmonious  opportunities 
not  merely  for  self-expression  but  for  service,  not 
alone  for  beauty  and  truth  but  for  utility;  and  that 
many-sided  variety  which  counteracts  the  tendencies 
of  the  specialist,  the  intellect,  and  the  emotions. 
Philosophy  is  not  a  merely  accidental  assemblage  of 
the  facts  of  the  world ;  it  is  an  organic  unity  of  all 
known  data  both  rationally  and  spiritually  inter- 
preted. The  great  lesson  of  our  study  of  the  criteria 
of  truth  is  that  each  criterion  is  relative  and  must  be 
qualified  by  the  results  of  all  the  others.  The  results 
of  philosophy  were  found  to  be  negative  only  while 
one  criterion  was  employed ;  it  is  the  constructive 
result  of  many  contributions,  imperfect  in  them- 
selves, which  is  alone  satisfactory.  We  frequently 
found  it  necessary  to  supplement  our  intellectual 
discussion  by  an  appeal  to  spiritual  experience.    Yet 


Organic  Perfection     ^         199 

we  discovered  many  reasons  for  guarded  acceptance 
of  a  purely  intuitive  philosophy.  Thus  balance  be- 
tween extremes  proved  to  be  the  only  sound  princi- 
ple. Thus  the  logical  outcome  of  our  analysis  is  a 
synthetic  theory  of  life  in  which  this  omnipresent 
principle  of  adjustment  between  extremes  shall  serve 
as  clue  to  the  unity  and  beauty  of  the  whole. 

With  this  synthetic  ideal  in  view,  let  us  regard^ 
the  entire  universe  as  an  organism.  By  the  universe 
I  mean  literally  and  inclusively  all  that  exists,  not 
only  the  worlds  of  nature  and  of  human  society,  not 
alone  the  realms  of  mind  and  morals ;  but  also  the 
commonwealth  of  individual  souls  and  the  ultimate 
Being  or  Spirit.  Let  this  great  sum  total  be  re- 
garded as  the  largest  organic  whole.  If  it  be  in 
reality  such  an  organism,  that  is,  a  fellowship  of 
finite  souls;  an  abiding,  sustaining  Father;  and  a 
relatively  distinct  world  of  nature,  it  is  such  a  whole 
because  this  kind  of  unity  is  higher,  more  beautiful, 
than  the  mere  totality,  the  absolutely  identical 
whole  without  parts  of  which  pantheism  conceives. 

The  thought  seems  a  bold  one  only  because  we 
are  accustomed  to  deem  God  sufficient  unto  him- 
self. But  if  he  be  self-adequate,  why  are  we  here, 
why  is  nature  here ;  how  happens  it  that  nature  and 
human  society  are  purposive  organisms  ?  If  the 
nature  of  God  be  fulfilled  only  through  the  organ- 
isms which  reveal  him,  he  is  so  far  dependent  upon 
them,  imperfect  without  them.  If  dependent,  his 
organisms  contribute,  somewhat  to  his  life;  if  the 
organisms  are  dependent  upon  him,  he  contributes 


200  Organic  Perfection 

somewhat  to  them.  Therefore  the  relation  between 
God  and  these  organisms  is  similar  to  the  relation- 
ship between  the  minor  and  major  parts  of  an 
organism,  although  indescribably  greater,  infinitely 
more  complex  than  the  relations  of  any  organism 
commonly  known  to  man,  and  only  figuratively 
typified  by  this  imperfect  illustration. 

Let  us,  therefore,  start  with  the  proposition  that 
nature  contributes  her  share,  that  man  is  a  necessary 
factor,  and  that  Spirit  or  God  is  the  essential  life  and 
source  whose  being  is  thus  perfectly  manifested. 
Spirit  would  not  be  '*  fair  and  good  **  alone.  Na- 
ture could  not  exist  by  itself.  Human  life  would 
be  impossible  without  both  nature  and  Spirit.  All 
these  constitute  one  universe  only  by  being  rela- 
tively, organically  distinct.  Therefore,  man  and 
God  and  nature  are  to  be  understood  only  in  the 
light  of  their  organic  mutuality  and  relationship,  as 
parts  of  a  universal  whole  which  perpetually  seeks 
absolute  perfection  through  infinite  variety. 

Thus  considered,  the  organic  whole  is  to  be  under- 
stood only  through  perfect  comprehension  of  the 
varying  relationships  of  all  the  parts.  Each  detail 
in  the  life  of  man  or  nature  is  related  to  the  history 
of  all  the  other  parts  within  the  divine  whole.  Each 
part  is  individually  defective  yet  widely  contributory, 
perfect  only  through  the  perfection  of  the  whole.  It 
contributes  and  is  contributed  to.  It  is  dependent, 
and  it  sustains  the  dependent.  Without  it  the  per- 
fect whole  could  not  be,  yet  it  is  relatively  of  little 
consequence.     Just  as  the  universal  whole  would 


Organic  Perfection  201 

be  fatally  maimed  by  the  removal  of  God  or  man  or 
nature,  so  would  a  minor  whole  be  injured  by  rob- 
bing it  of  a  part  or  function. 

The  glory  and  utility  of  any  part,  like  the  intel- 
lectual life,  or  the  experiences  known  as  pain  and  evil, 
consists  in  its  organic  limitations.  An  organ  must 
stand  for  something  definite,  or  it  is  neither  beau- 
tiful nor  useful.  Viewed  by  itself,  it  may  seem  ugly ; 
viewed  in  relation,  when  qualified,  held  in  check  and 
supplemented,  it  is  inexpressibly  beautiful. 

A  man  may  deem  himself  utterly  unfit  to  live 
while  he  regards  himself  negatively,  while  he  thinks 
of  what  he  is  not  and  what  he  cannot  do.  He  may 
condemn  himself  for  not  being  able  to  do  what 
other  men  do.  He  may  be  constantly  condemned 
by  those  who  pretend  to  understand  him,  because 
he  does  not  accomplish  what  they  think  he  ought 
to  accomplish.  Out  of  his  environment  he  may 
seem  cold,  sullen,  and  unsociable.  Put  him  in  his 
environment,  and  he  straightway  becomes  a  god. 
That  which  seemed  a  hardship  now  proves  to  be  a 
blessing,  because  it  is  seen  in  right  relations.  That 
which  appeared  to  be  a  cruel  and  ugly  limitation  is 
now  found  to  be  the  precise  condition  of  organic 
productibility. 

There  is  an  incalculably  valuable  lesson  in  this 
discovery.  Nine-tenths  of  all  the  negative  criticism 
and  self-condemnation  in  the  world  would  cease  if 
this  knowledge  could  become  universal. 

The  necessity  of  organic  limitation  may  be  further 
illustrated  by  the  nature  and  development  of  an  idea. 


202  Organic  Perfection 

We  know  very  well  from  experience  that  we  make 
no  headway  in  precise  thinking  while  the  attention 
wanders.  We  must  concentrate,  put  all  ideas  out 
of  mind  except  the  one  central  thought,  the  apex  of 
the  pyramid  of  consciousness,  whose  broadest  rela- 
tionships we  propose  to  master. 

Looked  at  from  the  negative  side,  it  is  a  decided 
limitation  that  the  mind  can  give  entire  attention 
to  but  one  idea  at  a  time.  From  the  positive  point 
of  view,  definiteness  of  comprehension  would  be 
possible  under  no  other  condition.  The  entire  pro- 
cess of  mental  development  is  the  gathering  at  a 
central  point  of  all  our  conscious  powers,  that  the 
mind  may  grasp  and  retain  a  single  concept,  a  par- 
ticular or  a  general  principle.  And  the  conscious 
mind  as  an  organ  is  supplemented  by  the  subcon- 
scious, which  when  well  trained  amply  compensates 
for  the  limitations  of  active  consciousness. 

Every  distinct  idea  is  a  point  of  view  from  which 
we  regard  our  experience  for  the  time  being.  For 
example,  we  study  the  operation  of  natural  forces 
and  learn  that  all  are  ruled  by  law.  We  touch  a  hot 
substance  and  the  hand  is  burned.  Thereupon  the 
mind,  summoning  all  its  wisdom  from  the  subcon- 
scious, momentarily  rises  to  the  plane  of  universal 
vision,  seizes  the  great  concept  of  uniform  world- 
law,  and  concludes  that  everywhere  under  similar 
conditions  similar  effects  would  follow.  The  mind 
then  deduces  from  this  great  principle,  inductively 
perceived,  certain  applications  for  use  in  daily  life. 
It  declares  that,  since  action  and  reaction  are  equal, 


Organic  Perfection  203 

there  can  be  no  activity  of  the  particular  type  in 
question  from  which  we  can  escape  a  certain  re- 
sult; that  consequently  we  must  hold  ourselves 
responsible. 

The  mind  reaches  this  definite,  practical  conclu- 
sion by  holding  the  thought  in  one  direction  until  it 
grasps  certain  relationships  as  seen  from  one  point 
only.  The  definite  process  of  thought  is  possible 
only  through  exclusion  and  subordination.  It  must 
shut  out  other  implications,  even  at  the  risk  of  doing 
them  injustice,  until  it  grasps  the  full  significance  of 
this.  Thus  a  definite  conscious  process  is  the  dis- 
covery of  a  particular  series  of  relations,  just  as  the 
description  of  a  tree  is  possible  only  by  giving  an 
account  of  its  environment,  the  surrounding  earth 
in  which  it  is  embedded,  the  atmosphere  which  plays 
upon  it,  the  power  of  gravity  which  holds  it  in  place 
and  maintains  its  shape,  the  sunlight  without  which 
its  life  and  growth  are  impossible. 

Here  is  a  very  important  point.  One  cannot  de- 
scribe an  object  in  nature,  or  even  the  vaguest  fancy 
which  a  mind  ever  conceived,  as  an  object  apart, 
unrelated.  The  central  thought  which  the  mind 
selects  for  temporary  consideration,  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  others,  is  as  nearly  independent  as  anything 
can  be.  Yet  it  is  a  central  thought  only  because 
there  are  grouped  about  it  many  other  thoughts 
which  throw  light  upon  it.  And  the  most  abstract 
law  which  the  mind  can  formulate,  the  most  meta- 
physically abstruse  doctrine,  is  made  such  only  by 
contrast  and  comparison  with  the  concrete  world 


204  Organic  Perfection 

of  warm,  loving,  and  tender  beings  and  things  which 
furnishes  the  substance  of  all  our  thinking. 

The  mind  could  not  formulate  a  law  unless  there 
were  uniformly  functioning  forces  to  describe.  These 
could  not  be  regular  functioning  forces  unless  there 
were  something  upon  which  they  could  act.  One 
force  alone  is  inconceivable :  force  is  known  only  in 
relation  to  resistance,  to  opposing  forces.  One  sub- 
stance alone  is  as  inconceivable  as  one  colour,  one 
sound,  one  man  or  woman.  All  these  are  known 
only  by  contrast,  in  relation ;  in  other  words,  organ- 
ically. 

Even  God  is  known  only  through  what  he  does, 
what  he  is  in  respect  to  the  world  which  manifests 
his  wisdom  and  power  and  beauty.  Ignorance  of 
this  obvious  fact  is  responsible  for  all  the  extra- 
natural  deities,  '*  Absolutes''  and  artificial  realities 
with  which  the  growth  of  philosophical  thought  has 
been  encumbered. 

Love  is  a  relation ;  it  is  impossible  alone.  Wis- 
dom is  due  to  concrete  experience ;  it  is  not  abstract. 
Beauty  is  a  relation  in  which  things  are  beheld.  An 
emotion  is  a  state  felt  in  regard  to  somewhat ;  the 
mind  is  incapable  of  feeling  without  something  to 
feel.  And  so  one  might  exhaust  the  universe  and 
fail  to  find  a  concept  small  or  great  which  has  any 
intelligibility  apart  from  relation ;  and  relation  is  of 
course  possible  only  through  different  organs  whose 
qualities  are  variously  associated. 

In  the  ethical  realm,  duty  is  a  meaningless  term 
without  the  relationship  of  the  one  who  imposes  the 


Organic  Perfection  205 

obligation  and  the  one  who  disregards  or  fulfils  it. 
No  man  can  be  either  righteous  or  unrighteous 
alone.  The  terms  **  good  **  and  **  bad  '*  possess 
significance  only  when  applied  to  something,  or 
some  deed,  which  does  or  does  not  fulfil  an  ideal 
relation,  a  purpose. 

It  is  a  related  purpose  which  gives  centrality  either 
to  human  life  or  to  the  universe  at  large.  Even 
though  existence  be  an  enigma  so  far  as  its  ultimate 
origin  is  concerned,  our  own  finite  reasoning  is  great 
enough  to  lead  the  mind  back  from  the  wonderful 
system  of  nature,  which  modern  science  so  beauti- 
fully describes,  to  the  purposive  harmony  which 
necessarily  exists  as  its  source.  And  we  know  that 
a  purpose  is  possible  only  through  an  ideal  which  is 
to  be  realised  by  the  adjustment  of  means  to  ends. 
It  is  the  obvious  presence  of  a  world-purpose,  of 
universal  adjustments  of  means  to  ends,  which  leads 
the  mind  to  posit  the  Existence  of  an  ultimate  Being 
wise  enough  to  be  the  source  of  this  underlying 
harmony  and  thereby  adapt  all  organic  activities  to 
one  end. 

The  conclusion  follows  easily  enough  that  the 
universe  is  not  merely  a  purposive  organism  of 
mutually  dependent  contributory  parts,  but  that  it 
is  adapted  to  the  attainment  of  the  highest  perfec- 
tion, the  greatest  good,  not  of  the  greatest  numfeer, 
but  of  the  whole.  The  universe  does  not  exist  for 
man  alone,  nor  for  nature,  nor  simply  to  complete 
the  life  of  God,  but  for  the  whole.  As  so  consti- 
tuted, it  would  seem  that  it  could  not  be  better. 


2o6  Organic  Perfection 

Granting  that  the  world-plan  includes  the  solution 
of  the  social  question,  the  total  organism  seems  to 
be  perfect,  wholly  beautiful,  good,  and  just.  One 
would  like  to  say,  it  is  perfect.  But,  as  we  have 
already  noted  in  the  preceding  chapter,  adequate 
knowledge  is  possible  only  when  a  thing  is  done. 
The  utmost  we  can  say  is  that,  although  we  have 
no  absolute  standard  of  comparison,  the  universe 
probably  could  not  be  better  than  it  is. 

An  ideally  perfect  adjustment  of  all  means  to  the 
highest  possible  end,  signifies  not  only  that  the 
nature,  place,  and  meaning  of  any  part,  however 
small,  is  to  be  understood  only  in  the  light  of  its 
temporary  relation  to  the  perfect  whole  at  any  given 
moment,  but  that  it  is  also  to  be  seen  through  the 
perspective  of  eternity.  It  means  that  as  all  organs, 
functions,  and  individuals  are  regarded  from  the 
point  of  view  of  Xholt  progressive  fitness  as  members 
of  a  whole  whose  perfection  can  be  attained  only 
through  entire  eternity,  many  of  these  ideals  are 
likely  to  be  misunderstood  if  regarded  only  from 
the  standpoint  of  time,  or  when  viewed  by  those 
who  are  ignorant  of  the  profound  significance  of 
organic  perfection.  Just  as  an  organ  or  function  is 
insignificant  by  itself,  so  that  which  seems  ugly  or 
evil  when  erroneously  regarded  by  itself,  in  relation 
to  its  immediate  temporal  environment,  instead  of 
in  the  light  of  its  meaning  for  the  progressing 
whole,  may  appear  beautiful  and  good  when  viewed 
in  its  total  eternal,  therefore  in  its  true,  relation. 
The  perspective  of  eternity  is  thus  the  only  one 


Organic  Perfection  207 

from  which  our  sins  and  evils  are  seen  in  a  h'ght 
which  reveals  their  good  side :  evil  is  still  evil,  but 
its  existence  in  an  ethical  universe  is  in  the  long  run 
justified  by  the  experience  gained  in  contact  and  by 
contrast  with  it.  Consequently,  there  must  be  a 
general  revision  of  opinions,  a  reformation  both  of 
our  terminology  and  our  methods,  if  we  are  to 
understand  the  social  cosmos  in  the  light  of  its 
movement  towards  completion  in  the  eternal  whole. 

It  follows  also  that  since  the  perfect  ideal  is  con- 
ceived in  eternity  and  realised  in  time,  we  must  take 
into  account  the  minute  stages  and  detailed  condi- 
tions of  natural  evolution.  That  which  arouses  im- 
patience and  condemnation  when  viewed  by  itself, 
inspires  confidence  and  admiration  when  beheld  in 
the  light  of  its  outcome. 

Since  the  universe  is  attaining  perfection  through 
evolution,  and  not  by  an  instantaneous  process,  it 
must  be  because  a  higher  standard  can  be  realised 
than  through  a  sudden  leap  into  relations  of  entire 
harmony.  Moreover,  if  absolute  perfection  were 
instantly  attained,  the  universe  would  thereafter  be 
as  cold  and  motionless,  as  unprogressive  as  a  marble 
mosaic.  The  beauty  of  the  Spirit  is  so  great,  the 
ideal  of  universal  organic  perfection  is  so  high,  that 
it  requires  the  relative  perfection  of  all  these  succes- 
sive moments  of  eternity  to  manifest  it.  The  uni- 
verse seems  perfect  at  any  given  moment  when  thus 
understood.  Yet  the  moment  passes  and  reveals  a 
new  beauty,  equally  great  yet  different;  and  the 
universe  shall   prove  to  be  perfect  in  the  highest 


2o8  Organic  Perfection 

sense  only  on  condition  that  these  successive  dis- 
plays of  the  infinite  grandeur  never  cease. 

It  IS  obviously  matter  of  opinion  whether  the  total 
universe  reveals  progress.  We  call  it  progress,  in 
our  finite  speech.  We  even  speak  of  God  as  **  pro- 
gressing,'* and  doubtless  he  is,  in  a  sense,  if  the 
spiritually  creative,  ethically  free  republic  of  human 
souls  contribute  their  share  of  fresh  experiences. 
But  this  alleged  progress  might  prove  to  be  only  an 
endless  series  of  variations  played  upon  the  great 
harp  of  life  by  means  of  notes  whose  essential  num- 
ber is  eternally  the  same.  In  this  way  the  conserva- 
tion of  energy  would  be  maintained,  yet  there  would 
be  endless  room  for  experiment,  for  the  production 
of  novelties  unknown  even  to  the  Father  who,  if  he 
foreknew  all  possible  combinations  and  decreed  their 
number  for  all  time,  would  have  nothing  to  gain  from 
organic  self-manifestation;  and  this  absolute  fore- 
ordination  would  make  ethical  freedom  and  in- 
dividual creativeness  utterly  impossible. 

The  independence  and  beauty  of  the  part  must 
not  then  be  lost  in,  overruled,  or  absorbed  by  the 
whole.  It  adds  its  fullest  measure  of  beauty  and 
productiveness  to  the  whole  only  by  being  of  rela- 
tive worth  in  itself.  For  I  am  not  arguing  that  it  is 
right  for  a  part  insubordinately  to  suffer  that  the 
whole  may  be  glorified.  That  would  be  applying 
to  the  universe  the  demand  of  the  modern  capitalist 
that  the  labourer  shall  be  a  degraded  cog  in  an 
economic  machine,  in  order  that  the  ideals  of  the 
trust  may  be  realised. 


Organic  Perfection  209 

The  part  is,  sooner  or  later,  to  find  its  full  glory, 
adequate  self-expression,  and  complete  development 
through  the  service  of  its  fellow  parts ;  otherwise  the 
universe  is  unfair  and  perfection  wears  a  cruel  blem- 
ish. It  IS  just  because  the  social  problem  is  not  yet 
solved  that  we  cannot  say  *'  perfection  now  is/' 

The  individual  is  to  be  understood  in  relation  to 
the  universal,  but  the  universal  is  also  qualified  by 
the  individual.  The  temporal  is  organically  related 
to  the  eternal;  the  eternal  is  nothing  without  the 
temporal.  The  eternal  is  made  up  of  the  temporal, 
the  universal  of  the  individual :  there  is  no  absolute- 
in-itself.  The  temporal  retains  its  specific  meaning, 
as  for  instance,  the  dates,  1453,  1492,  1876.  Like- 
wise, the  glory  of  man  is  that  he  is  continuously  an 
unabsorbed  historical  individual,  as,  for- example, 
Socrates,  Jesus,  Shakespeare,  Darwin,  and  those 
who  contributed  to  the  evolution  and  life-work  of 
these,  without  whom,  because  they  were  organs 
only,  their  work  would  have  been  impossible. 

From  another  point  of  view,  the  eternal  is  the 
great  unattained.  As  typical  of  absolute  perfection, 
it  is  ideally  true,  but  not  actually  real.  It  is  ever 
the  goal  which  the  universe  seeks,  yet  the  pleasure 
of  the  game  consists  in  never  making  it.  It  is  the 
sword  of  Damocles  which  must  not  fall.  If  any-, 
thing  were  absolute  in  itself  there  could  be  no 
organic  perfection. 

I  need  not,  however,  dwell  on  these  general  limit- 
ations of  organic  perfection,  since  our  chief  concern 
is  to   discover  how   our   own  limitations   make   it 


2IO  Organic  Perfection 

possible  both  for  us  to  exist  and  to  adjust  ourselves 
to  one  another.  The  profoundest  aspect  of  the 
universe,  viewed  as  a  progressive  process,  is  the 
continuously  self-communicating  Spirit,  active 
through  all  eternity,  yet  carrying  forward  the  de- 
tailed life  which  alone  makes  possible  the  adjust- 
ment of  all  means  to  ends  with  the  perfection  of  the 
whole  in  vie;w.  Practically,  then,  Spirit  must  be 
regarded  as  progressing,  if  not  progressive,  and  the 
individual  should  adjust  himself  to  the  perpetually 
advancing  life  within  all  evolution. 

No  part  can  lie  outside  of  the  divine  activity  to 
which  all  beings  are  organically  related,  since  it 
might  then  function  against,  not  for,  the  whole.  It 
follows  that  no  man,  no  state,  no  nation,  however 
powerful,  can  ever  permanently  injure  the  universe. 
All  relative  injuries  to  the  social  cosmos  are,  as  we 
have  seen  in  Chapter  VIII.,  due  to  man's  ignorance, 
to  temporary  slavery  and  the  infliction  of  slavery. 
So  far  as  tendencies  in  the  natural  or  social  cosmos 
are  permitted  to  go  off  on  tangents,  it  is  because 
the  experience  thus  gained  can  be  turned  to  creative 
account  by  the  Organ  of  organs  whose  function  it  is 
both  to  carry  forward  and  perfect,  and  to  maintain 
the  equilibrium  of  the  universe. 

Man  is  thus  made  aware  of  his  limitations  by  the 
sharp  reactions  which  follow  all  excesses.  All  life, 
all  education  is  a  discovery  of  those  inevitable  con- 
ditions with  which,  as  Emerson  tells  us,  the  universe 
is  invested,  but  which  **  the  unwise  seek  to  dodge.'* 
Educational  experiment  followed  by  philosophical 


Organic  Perfection  211 

thought  shows  man  what  he  can  do  and  what  he 
cannot  do.  For  not  all  things  are  possible  unto 
him :  only  those  which  when  turned  to  account  by 
the  Achiever  of  all  shall  not  only  contribute  to  the 
best  life  of  the  individual,  but  to  the  welfare  and 
beauty  of  the  whole.  Not  all  things  are  possible 
even  with  God— 4t  seems  audacious  to  say  it,  but 
the  universe  declares  it  —  because  by  virtue  of  his 
goodness  and  love  he  is  dedicated  to  those  deeds 
which  make  for  righteousness. 

The  glory  of  man  consists  in  doing  his  individual 
work  and  in  attempting  no  other.  In  one  direction 
all  is  clear  before  him.  In  all  others  he  is  sure, 
sooner  or  later,  to  encounter  insurmountable  ob- 
stacles. For  as  the  universe  is  constituted  so  that 
all  men  shall  turn  to  righteousness  at  last,  the 
Achiever  sees  to  it  that  something  is  placed  in  every 
man's  way  which  will  eventually  bring  him  to  judg- 
ment, so  that,  having  thought  it  all  out  for  himself, 
he  will  see  the  economy,  and  finally  the  wisdom 
and  beauty  of  righteousness. 

The  desideratum  obviously  is  that  every  man 
come  to  consciousness  of  his  profound  relationship 
with  Spirit,  nature,  and  humanity;  that  he  realise 
both  his  dependence  upon  them,  his  utter  nothing- 
ness without  them ;  and  also  their  dependence  on 
him  through  that  which  he  and  he  alone  can  contri- 
bute. At  first  sight  this  mutual  dependence  seems 
obvious  enough ;  every-day  life  proves  it.  But  if  it 
were  truly  recognised  the  social  problem  would 
already  be  solved. 


212  Organic  Perfection 

This  discovery  not  only  means  the  knowledge  of 
man*s  relativity,  as  we  have  considered  it  in  Chapter 
X.,  but  the  understanding  of  the  positive  nature  and 
worth  of  individuality  in  all  its  relationships.  It 
implies  so  much  that  it  is  difficult  even  to  suggest 
it;  it  is  the  discovery  of  a  lifetime.  Our  entire 
history  is  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  we 
have  in  part  learned  this  great  truth. 

Suffice  it  that  when  man  really  knows  himself,  he 
learns  that  deep  within  his  being  there  is  a  principle 
of  organic  unity  whereby  his  life  is  persistently  held 
together  as  one  whole.  However  varied  his  exter- 
nal experiences,  personal  relationships,  eccentricities, 
planes  of  consciousness,  and  characteristics,  more 
or  less  mutable  during  a  constantly  changing  life- 
time, he  is  fundamentally  one  individual,  as  the  uni- 
verse is  always  one  universe.  There  is  a  principle 
of  cohesion,  a  profound  harmony  of  parts,  a  unity 
which  is  stronger  than  the  principle  of  variety  which 
characterises  its  manifold  relationships  with  Spirit, 
man,  and  nature.  The  centripetal  force  is  never 
permanently  overcome  by  the  centrifugal  —  that  is, 
so  far  as  we  have  any  evidence. 

Some  might  argue  that  the  universe  would  be  as 
well  served  if  individuality  should  disintegrate  when 
a  man's  chief  work  is  done.  But  this  would  be  at 
the  expense  of  one  half  of  our  ideal,  and  if  there  are 
many  planes  of  existence  yet  to  come  man  may  not 
yet  know  his  chief  work.  It  is  unfair  to  judge  by 
the  standards  of  this  life  only. 

In  the  profoundest  sense,  this  unity  amid  variety 


Organic  Perfection  213 

which  makes  each  individual  for  ever  and  solely  him- 
self, is  a  distinctive  point  of  view  from  which  the 
entire  universe  is  seen,  a  unique  attitude  toward 
life,  a  certain  temperamental  and  peculiar  method 
of  experiencing  and  thinking,  an  intimately  private 
freedom,  and  an  emphatically  personal  mode  of 
action.  No  one  in  the  wide  universe  is  the  dupli- 
cate of  another.  No  one  can  imitate,  do  the  work 
of,  or  in  reality  interfere  with  another.  When  this 
combination  was  made,  if  it  ever  was  made,  the 
model  was  thrown  away,  and  no  possible  attempt 
at  recombining  would  ever  bring  about  the  same 
result. 

When  a  man  learns  this  greatest  of  facts  in  regard 
to  his  individual  life  he  becomes  centred,  poised, 
and  no  longer  fears  defeat.  Any  threatened  defeat 
now  seems  utterly  absurd.  He  knows  that  he  is 
grounded  in  the  eternal  constitution  of  things,  in- 
separably a  part  of  that  Reality  beyond  which  there 
is  no  other.  He  is  superior  to  any  misfortune,  any 
calamity,  or  supposed  enemy,  either  in  space  or 
time.  Whatever  happens,  be  it  death  itself,  trans- 
portation to  any  part  of  the  universe,  or  enforced 
sleep  during  a  thousand  years,  will  find  him  in 
equanimity,  ready  to  discover  its  educational  value. 

It  is  therefore  a  part  of  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit 
for  each  man  to  consider  in  all  confidence,  yet  in 
deepest  humility  and  gratitude,  the  bearing  of  his 
individuality  upon  the  work  of  the  universe;  for  he 
can  contribute  nothing  greater  than  that.  He 
should   regard  himself  as  an  organ  of  the  whole, 


214  Organic  Perfection 

essential  to  the  whole,  so  placed  that  there  is 
abundant  power  and  wisdom  to  enable  him  to  ac- 
complish his  work. 

He  is  to  be  concerned  solely  with  the  regulation 
of  his  own  attitude,  the  doing  of  his  own  work; 
never  with  the  regulation  of  the  attitudes  or  activities 
of  others.  As  we  have  repeatedly  shown,  no  man 
can  know  what  another  individual  ought  to  do. 
That  knowledge  is  attainable  by  one  soul  alone. 

Yet  the  discovery  of  the  organic  meaning  of  in- 
dividuality is  a  means  to  the  greater  end,  organic 
service.  Although  the  individual  should  not  dic- 
tate, every  experience  which  comes  into  his  life 
should  have  meaning  for  him  in  relation  to  his  work 
for  the  world.  It  should  help  to  put  him  in  right 
social  relations,  that  he  may  the  more  fully  express 
the  **  constructive  individuality  "  which  is  the  high- 
est ideal  of  education. 

True  knowledge  of  individuality,  as  we  have 
already  shown,  not  only  does  not  lead  to  mere  in- 
dividualism, but  indicates  that  there  must  be  radical 
reform  in  current  individualistic  tendencies. 

Previous  to  the  discovery  of  man*s  true  place  in 
life  he  is  cast  about  by  circumstance ;  he  is  burdened 
with  fear,  is  passionate,  resentful,  jealous,  self-pro- 
tective, intolerant,  exclusive;  in  a  word,  selfish. 
When  he  knows  himself  as  only  he  can  know,  he 
learns  that  these  selfish  attitudes  are  utterly  foolish 
expenditures  of  force.  For  no  one  can  really  injure 
him.  No  one  can  pilfer  his  true  wealth.  The 
cleverest   imitator   could   never    borrow    his   most 


Organic  Perfection  215 

individual  ideas.  No  alleged  enemy  could  possibly 
intrude  on  his  truest  rights,  or  deprive  him  of  his 
real  freedom.  Every  experience,  without  the  least 
•exception,  must  affect  him  according  to  his  own, 
not  another's,  state  of  development  and  attitude 
towards  it. 

Consequently,  there  is  no  need  of  the  barriers 
which  the  individual  usually  rears  about  himself. 
His  one  concern  should  be  to  fulfil  his  true  function 
in  relation  to  the  whole,  to  be  true  to  himself.  His 
one  standard  should  be,  what  is  right  or  best  for  him 
as  an  organ  of  the  whole :  the  supreme  guidance  of 
the  Spirit.     All  else  should  be  subordinate  to  that. 

To  be  loyal  to  the  whole,  each  man  must  have  as 
profound  first-hand  knowledge  of  it  as  possible. 
For,  remember,  individuality  is  due  to  many-sided 
variety  in  unity.  The  individual  is  related  to  all 
that  exists,  personal  experience  with  which  furnishes 
the  occasion  for  self-manifestation.  He  must  be- 
come truly  universal,  that  he  may  give  adequate 
expression  to  that  in  him  which  completes  the 
universal. 

No  man  can  learn  his  true  nature  if  he  dwells 
alone,  no  man  can  learn  it  merely  through  contact 
with  society,  among  his  books,  with  nature,  alone 
with  God.  He  must  learn  it  both  within  and  with- 
out, through  solitude  and  society,  the  head  and  the 
heart,  even  supplementing  his  days  and  months  of 
diligent  search  for  truth  by  days  and  months  when 
he  becomes  passive  and  lets  truth  pursue  him. 
Only  by  the  balance,  the  mutual  supplementation 


2i6  Organic  Perfection 

of  all  experiences  and  all  thoughts,  in  all  environ- 
ments, seen  in  all  possible  perspectives,  through  all 
that  is  in  him,  may  he  hope  to  attain  either  ade- 
quacy of  self-knowledge,  or  adequacy  of  self-expres- 
sion through  service. 

For,  as  we  have  repeatedly  noted,  he  can  grasp 
only  one  idea  or  experience  at  a  time.  Now  he 
must  give  play  to  his  spiritual  nature,  and  now 
subject  his  thought  to  the  most  rigidly  sceptical 
criteria  of  truth.  Now  he  must  seek  solitude,  and 
now  society.  Only  the  well-balanced  man  is  truly 
spiritual,  profoundly  philosophical,  or  thoroughly 
educated. 

The  history  of  man's  development,  his  attempts 
to  achieve  perfection  through  hermit  methods  and 
exclusive  creeds,  proves  by  contrast  the  need  of 
many-sidedness,  beauty,  rounded  completion,  as  the 
only  pathway  to  that  fulness  of  soul-expression  in 
which  his  organic  utility  consists.  The  very  at- 
tempt to  attain  *'  liberation  **  by  ascetic  and  egoistic 
methods  shows  how  intimately  man  is  related  to  all 
that  exists,  to  how  slight  a  degree  he  is  independent. 

The  many-sidedness  of  individual  consciousness  is 
also  an  illustration  of  the  organic  character  of  our 
existence. 

Since  the  days  of  Descartes,  it  has  been  customary 
to  begin  all  philosophical  inquiry  with  consciousness 
as  the  basic  fact,  the  surest  datum  of  experience ; 
and  this  has  practically  meant  your  consciousness 
or  mine.  As  you  look  within,  now,  and  as  I  also 
introspect,  no  fact  proves  more  fundamental.     Yet 


Organic  Perfection  217 

an  examination  of  the  question,  How  can  conscious- 
ness exist  ?  reveals  the  great  truth  that  it  is  neither 
possible  nor  good  alone.  It  must  be  consciousness 
of  something.  It  must  also  be  consciousness  by  a 
self  or  soul  that  is  conscious.  The  very  life  of  con- 
sciousness is  knowledge  of  relations,  of  objects 
which  are  brought  into  intimate  relation  with  our 
perceptive  organism. 

Furthermore,  consciousness  is  possible  only- 
through  change,  activity,  life.  We  cannot  dwell 
on  one  set  of  relations  long  at  a  time.  There  must 
be  external  movement  as  the  source  of  internal 
awareness.  Consciousness  without  life  is  impos- 
sible.    But  life  is  a  system  of  relations. 

In  general  terms,  consciousness  is  the  inner  trans- 
lation into  the  percepts  and  concepts  by  which  the 
mind  pictures  or  represents  the  world  of  relations. 
In  other  words,  consciousness  is  organic.  It  is  not 
the  totality  of  being,  as  some  have  assumed.  The 
universe  is  not  a  mere  world  of  thought.  It  is  not 
a  merely  conscious  representation,  with  nothing 
represented.  Relations  are  real.  Change  is  real. 
Evolution  is  a  living  fact.  It  is  the  function  of  con- 
sciousness to  report  what  transpires  in  the  real,  living 
world  of  time  and  space  relations. 

Thus  a  critical  examination  of  what  we  mean  by 
consciousness,  leads  us  step  by  step  out  of  the  sub- 
jective, egoistic  world  into  the  world  of  Spirit, 
nature,  and  human  society,  without  which  even 
the  most  limited  consciousness  is  impossible.  This 
apparently  commonplace   conclusion  is  really  the 


2i8  Organic  Perfection 

refutation  of  all  systems  of  subjectivism,  mysticism, 
and  the  like.  And  thus  the  deepest,  subtlest,  and 
most  troublesome  stronghold  of  egoism  is  removed. 
The  finite  self  is  in  truth  nothing  without  conscious- 
ness, but  in  this  one  fact  resides  all  the  evidence 
needed  to  develop  a  philosophy  of  organic  human 
society. 

Without  attempting  to  develop  all  the  logical 
steps,  let  us  simply  note  that  the  most  suggestive 
series  of  relationships  which  make  consciousness 
possible  is  the  social  series.  The  very  dawning  of 
self-consciousness  in  infancy  is  closely  associated 
with  the  discovery  that  other  selves  exist.  The 
individual  activity  of  the  soul  is,  of  course,  the 
dynamic  factor  of  prime  consequence.  Without 
the  brooding  presence  of  the  Spirit  no  conscious- 
ness is  possible.  Yet  it  is  the  social  factor  which 
furnishes  the  occasion,  and  thus  lays  the  foundation 
of  that  great  indebtedness  which  every  human  soul 
owes  to  mother,  father,  and  the  host  of  associates 
with  whose  co-operation  all  its  habits  are  acquired, 
the  relation  of  objects  in  the  surrounding  environ- 
ment is  learned,  language  is  received  as  a  gift  from 
thousands  and  millions  of  ancestors,  and  all  the 
foundations  are  laid  for  its  future  education,  social 
life,  and  individual  experience.  The  psychological, 
social,  and  ethical  relations  and  obligations  are  so 
many  and  so  great  that  the  mind  is  overwhelmed 
by  them.  But  it  is  important  to  take  ample  time 
to  think  them  out  because  of  the  tremendous  in- 
debtedness which  the  soul  is  under.     The  majority 


Organic  Perfection  219 

of  men  require  all  possible  spurs  to  righteousness, 
and  no  kind  of  philosophising  leads  more  directly 
from  egoism  to  altruism  than  thought  about  these 
intimate  relationships  without  which  one*s  existence 
as  an  organism  amidst  organisms  is  impossible.  It 
leads  the  mind  instinctively  to  the  glad  hope  that  a 
day  may  come  when  all  men  shall  awaken  to  the 
beauties  and  opportunities  of  our  mutual  existence 
as  one  great  social  organism. 

Apply  the  thought  to  your  own  life,  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  recollect  your  relationship  to  parents, 
grandparents,  and  past  generations;  to  teachers, 
books,  friends,  associates,  possibly  to  wife  or  hus- 
band and  children,  to  say  nothing  of  your  relation- 
ships with  thousands  whom  you  do  not  know  and 
may  never  see,  who  labour  to  produce  the  commod- 
ities of  life,  and  all  that  makes  existence  produc- 
tively and  pleasurably  possible  for  you. 

Consider,  too,  the  inferior  condition  in  which  the 
majority  of  people  are  held  through  ignorance, 
selfishness,  and  grinding  oppression.  Consider  by 
contrast  the  eternal  principles  of  liberty,  equality 
and  freedom  which  we  have  dwelt  upon  in  another 
chapter.  All  are  equal  before  the  eternal  law. 
Spiritually  speaking,  each  is  directly,  organically 
related  to  the  Father,  the  only  inequality  being  the 
difference  in  spiritual  enlightenment  and  receptivTty. 
Each  may  draw  upon  that  source  to  make  the  ideal 
real.  Yet  each  is  dependent  upon  all,  and  all  must 
know  the  truths  of  organic  perfection  before  free- 
dom   shall   become    universal.     Consequently,  the 


2  20  Organic  Perfection 

great  privilege  of  the  enlightened  is  to  quicken  to 
consciousness  the  spirit  of  freedom,  the  close  rela- 
tionship between  soul  and  soul  and  the  great  Over- 
soul. 

The  supreme  thought,  then,  worth  more  than  all 
the  other  points  in  our  argument,  is  the  spiritual 
ideal,  the  possibility  open  before  every  human  soul 
of  becoming  a  function  of  the  Spirit,  a  minister  of 
that  power  and  life,  that  peace  and  love  which 
touches  the  hearts  and  feeds  the  souls  of  men.  He 
that  loses  his  merely  individual  life  shall  find  it. 
The  law  of  the  Christ  is  the  highest  law  of  organic 
perfection,  the  Christ  spirit  made  social  is  the  su- 
preme triumph  of  all  the  powers  of  evolution. 

Education,  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  organic 
perfection,  thus  leads  to  profound  consideration  of 
all  aspects  of  ethical  and  social  philosophy.  It  is  the 
application  in  its  noblest  sense  of  the  philosophical 
ideal.  It  is  the  fruition  of  the  philosopher's  broad- 
est thought,  quickened  and  carried  forward  by  the 
spirit  of  love  and  sympathy.  It  applies  to  the 
whole  of  life,  in  its  united  sense,  as  the  union  of 
head  and  heart,  the  individual  and  society,  working 
co-operatively  to  carry  out  the  divine  ideal.  It 
applies  to  the  passing  details  of  life ;  it  ends  only 
with  immortality.  And  so  to  the  conception  of  im- 
mortality we  must  turn,  with  the  hope  that  that,  too, 
shall  prove  to  be  a  part  of  our  educational  life,  the 
fruition  of  our  individual  and  collective  ethical  and 
spiritual  freedom. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IMMORTALITY 
A  better  life  this  life  concealed. — Browning. 

IN  the  great  Sanskrit  epic,  the  Mahabharata,  when 
the  hero,  Yudhisthira,  is  asked  by  Dhama  what 
is  the  most  wonderful  thing  in  the  world,  he  replies 
that  it  is  the  persistent  belief  of  mankind  in  their 
own  deathlessness,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  every- 
where around  they  are  continually  witnessing  the 
sorrows  and  pains  of  death.  And,  if  he  had  lived 
in  these  modern  days,  the  ancient  hero  might  have 
added  the  arguments  and  facts  of  physiology,  all  of 
which  give  support  to  the  theory  that  death  ends  all. 
The  evidence  in  favour  of  death  may  be  said  to 
have  accumulated  more  rapidly  than  arguments  for 
continued  existence.  Yet  belief  in  immortality  is 
no  less  strong  —  outside  of  agnostic  circles.  The 
data  of  psychical  research  have  been  steadily  making 
in  favour  of  continued  existence,  and  a  huge  volume 
of  evidence  awaits  those  who  are  sufficiently  Un- 
prejudiced to  read  it. 

I  shall  not,  however,  in  this  chapter  consider  the 
problem  from  the  point  of  view  of  scientific  inquiry, 
but  from  its  moral  and  spiritual  side,  with  the  hope 

221 


22  2  Immortality 

that  the  discussion  may  bring  into  prominence 
certain  aspects  of  the  problem  which  have  been 
neglected  in  the  zeal  for  psychical  research.  For 
it  is  not  when  we  examine  the  data  of  external 
spirit  manifestation  that  we  approach  the  problem 
most  directly.  It  is  when  we  turn  immediately  to 
the  soul  itself,  when  we  await  and  interpret  its  high- 
est inspirations,  when  the  souFs  relationship  with 
the  Father  is  discovered  in  the  spiritual  life. 

The  spiritual  life  is  not  the  result  of  scientific  re- 
search. It  does  not  come  by  observation.  Man 
may  consciously  lay  the  foundations  for  it :  he  may 
become  virtuous,  trustful,  abounding  in  repose,  in 
peace  and  love.  We  have  already  considered  cer- 
tain aspects  of  it  in  our  study  of  equanimity.  But 
the  qualities  of  the  highest  spiritual  life  surpass  our 
merely  analytical  understanding.  The  Spirit  comes 
as  the  crowning  touch,  while  we  go  on  living  the 
noblest  life.  It  chooses  and  inspires  whom  it  will. 
Its  inspirations  outstrip  the  highest  flights  of  self- 
conscious  thought. 

The  supreme  assurance  of  immortality  is  the  life 
which  deserves  it,  that  spirituality  which  would  be 
rudely  marred  and  shattered  if  immortality  were 
untrue.  Unless  we  are  one  and  all  fated  to  be  sud- 
denly transported  to  a  heaven  of  eternal  perfection, 
whether  we  are  good  or  bad — this  seems  improbable 
from  what  we  know  of  the  moral  constitution  of 
things  —  unless  we  are  spiritually  immortal  despite 
character  and  conduct,  it  seems  probable  that  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  life  on  our  part  is  a  better  preparation 


Immortality  223 

than  any  other.  Thus  considered,  immortality  is 
the  natural,  one  might  almost  say  the  inevitable, 
outcome  of  the  righteous  life.  All  evolution  tends 
that  way ;  that  is,  all  evolution  makes  for  righteous- 
ness. The  universe  is  just.  It  grants  an  equal  op- 
portunity to  each,  and  has  placed  every  possible  aid 
where  man  may  voluntarily  accept  or  reject  it. 

Immortality  is  thus  a  logical  consequence,  a  ne- 
cessity of  the  ethical  life.  Our  entire  argument  for ' 
organic  social  perfection  fails  unless  it  be  clear  that 
the  compensations  and  opportunities  of  the  future 
supplement  the  unjust  and  unequal  conditions  under 
which  many  spend  every  day  and  hour  of  this  earth 
life.  Unless  a  future  life  resolve  all  these  differences 
the  universe  is  unjust.  Unless  every  individual 
some  time  come  to  consciousness  of  his  organic 
place  in  the  social  cosmos  and  realise  the  ideals  of 
service,  our  highest  ideals  are  only  myths ;  for  our 
point  of  view  is  strictly  universal,  it  acknowledges 
no  partialities  or  subordinations. 

The  future  life,  then,  will  undoubtedly  be  the 
field  in  which  the  social  problem  will  first  be  solved. 
But  its  solution  on  earth  is  the  greater  ideal,  because 
it  is  undoubtedly  far  more  difficult.  The  present 
social  order  is  the  chief  centre  of  interest,  and  the 
thought  of  immortality  is  of  great  philosophical 
value  only  because  it  furnishes  the  ethical  supple- 
ment needed  to  complete  the  organic  limitations  of 
our  present  existence. 

But  this  is  an  old  and  familiar  argument  for  im- 
mortality, that  the  moral  order  is  imperfect  without 


224  Immortality 

it ;  that  it  is  ethically  open  to  all,  otherwise  the  uni- 
verse is  unjust;  and  after  the  arguments  of  the  fore- 
going chapter  it  needs  only  a  reference  here.  Since 
all  reform  begins  within  and  with  the  individual,  the 
important  point  is  not  merely  to  awaken  to  the 
thought  of  immortality  as  an  organic,  ethical  de- 
mand, but  as  involving  a  practical,  educational,  and 
spiritual  attitude  toward  the  world  of  to-day.  How- 
ever it  be  regarded,  our  conscious  attitude  has  some- 
what to  do  with  the  future  life ;  and  whether  or  not 
the  will  is  in  any  way  finally  decisive,  it  evidently 
possesses  the  power  to  postpone  or  hasten  the  day 
of  the  soul's  awakening  into  the  fuller  existence. 
It  seems  perfectly  normal  and  right,  then,  to  set 
apart  periods  for  the  study  of  the  soul  and  the  prob- 
able conditions  of  its  survival.  For  we  are  already, 
here  and  now,  exercising  functions  which  are  un- 
doubtedly to  be  the  foundation  of  life  in  the  future 
state.  By  a  study  of  these  functions,  we  may  grad- 
ually prepare,  then  help  others  to  prepare  for  the 
transition  from  the  lower  consciousness  to  the  higher. 
Sooner  or  later  there  must  be  such  an  awakening, 
and  it  would  be  a  great  boon  if  it  could  begin  in  the 
present  life  as  a  part  of  our  closer  social  relation- 
ship. All  changes  are  the  results  of  evolution;  if 
there  has  not  been  an  awakening  in  the  flesh,  it 
must  come  after  the  present  phase  of  life  has  ceased. 
After  the  transition,  many  souls  are  doubtless  in  a 
dazed  condition  for  months,  while  the  apprentice- 
ship of  the  majority  probably  extends  through  years. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  souls  now  in  the  flesh 


Immortality  225 

undoubtedly  better  acquainted  with  the  conditions 
of  the  next  plane  of  life,  than  a  large  percentage  of 
those  who  have  already  begun  to  understand  their 
new  experience. 

What  part  of  our  nature  is  likely  to  survive,  and 
how  may  we  become  more  conscious  of  it  ? 

Throughout  this  book  we  have  contended  for  the 
existence  of  a  spiritual  faculty  or  organ  of  receptiv- 
ity. In  the  foregoing  chapter  we  have  also  found 
evidence  for  the  existence  of  an  unresolvable,  in- 
divisible unit,  the  spiritual  ego  beneath  and  owning 
all  these  complexities  of  moods  and  selves  which  we 
call  our  conscious  and  subconscious  life.  However 
varied  the  surface,  regardless  of  the  conflict  of 
selves,  at  heart  each  of  us  is  one  soul.  The  prob- 
ability is  that,  as  life  becomes  more  abounding  in 
wisdom  and  repose,  this  fundamental  unity  will 
stand  out  more  and  more. 

One  of  the  first  and  profoundest  discoveries,  when 
we  begin  really  to  know  ourselves,  is  this  fact  of 
spiritual  unity.  In  our  thoughtless  days  of  unac- 
quaintance  with  the  soul  we  seemed  to  be  many 
selves.  We  were  continually  cast  about,  now  at  the 
mercy  of  dominating  minds,  now  prisoners  of  our 
own  passions.  But,  when  we  began  to  be  at  home 
in  our  mental  world,  we  also  began  to  be  centred, 
to  be  conscious  that  deep  within  this  confusiorrof 
selves  there  is  a  soul  capable  not  only  of  controlling 
all  passions  and  conflicting  forces,  but  of  holding  all 
phases  of  personality  together  as  one  consistent, 

ethical  individual. 

15 


226  Immortality 

One  of  the  essentials  in  the  great  work  of  prepara- 
tion for  the  future  life  is  therefore  the  cultivation  of 
that  kind  of  thinking,  that  kind  of  repose,  which 
gives  a  grasp  of  the  inner  life  as  a  unit,  as  the  meet- 
ing point  of  the  various  tendencies  which  make  for 
organic  perfection,  for  our  highest  education.  This 
is  true  concentration,  true  meditation,  as  opposed 
to  the  vague,  incautious  receptivity  which  often 
characterises  the  experience  known  as  **  entering 
the  silence.'*  We  must  have  centrality  if  we  are 
to  have  concentration;  and  centrality  means  the 
taking  up  of  the  loose  reins,  the  conflicting  forces, 
and  wilful  thoughts,  that  they  may  know  their 
master. 

A  certain  amount  of  vague  experimentation  and 
psychic  perplexity  is  doubtless  a  necessary  introduc- 
tion to  this  realm  of  deeper  self-mastery.  But  it  is 
advisable  to  have  done  with  it  as  soon  as  possible. 
No  soul  can  serve  two  masters;  and,  if  one  cares 
more  for  psychic  visions,  faces,  forms,  and  uncanny 
sensations  than  for  the  Spirit,  the  Spirit  will  not 
come.  One  must  summon  all  one's  powers  of  dis- 
cernment, surely  all  one's  common  sense, ^  if  one  is 
to  enter  where  there  is  so  much  that  is  illusory. 
Equally  necessary  is  it  to  avoid  becoming  too  sub- 
jectively interested  in  self.  For  the  spiritual  life  is 
the  life  of  humility,  not  of  egotism,  the  messenger 
of  love,  not  the  prisoner  of  self ;  it  is  beautiful  only 
in  organic  relation. 

^  It  is  also  essential  to  apply  the  sceptical  criteria  of  truth  which 
we  have  considered  in  Chapter  XII, 


Immortality  227 

Thus  the  discrimination  between  egoism  and  al- 
truism is  one  of  the  essentials  of  this  higher  develop- 
ment. It  is  when  I  begin  to  distinguish  between 
fnerely  personal  motives  and  inclinations,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  higher  promptings,  on  the  other,  that 
I  pass  from  the  superficial,  transient  self  to  the  cen- 
tralised soul  which  is  fit  to  survive.  I  must  attain 
that  stage  of  insight  where  I  am  no  longer  hood- 
winked by  myself.  I  must  be  perfectly  honest.  I 
must  know  myself  through  and  through.  Out  of 
the  tendencies  thus  discovered,  I  must  take  firm 
hold  of  those  which  express  the  soul  at  its  best, 
leaving  all  else  to  fall  into  oblivion  through  lack  of 
attention. 

This  power  of  self-command  becomes  in  time  the 
basis  of  a  larger  spiritual  experience.  For,  when  one 
has  learned  to  select  the  divine  promptings  from 
among  the  merely  personal,  one  may  substitute  the 
higher  sources  of  knowledge  for  the  lower,  even  in 
regard  to  matters  of  minor  importance.  Under  this 
head,  as  evidence  of  the  soul's  existence  as  an  im- 
mortal spirit,  functioning  independently  of  matter, 
I  class  the  higher  impressions,  guidances,  spiritual 
insights,  intuitions,  and  the  power  to  communicate 
with  other  souls  at  a  distance.  I  do  not  now  refer  to 
messages  from  excarnate  souls,  although  guidance 
may  sometimes  come  in  this  way,  but  rather  to  the 
souFs  native  ability  to  obtain  knowledge  by  a  quicker 
process  than  through  the  physical  senses,  or  by  the 
function  of  reason.  Take,  for  example,  the  ability 
which  many  possess  to  describe  the  states  of  mind 


2  28  Immortality 

and  body  of  people  at  a  distance,  to  find  their  way 
by  spiritual  impression  in  a  strange  town  or  country, 
also  the  power  to  heal  others  at  a  distance  through 
a  purely  spiritual  process.  All  these  experiences, 
together  with  the  transference  of  definite  thought  to 
a  distant  soul,  and  some  of  the  phenomena  which 
we  have  included  in  our  study  of  the  subconscious 
mind,  point  to  the  existence  of  finer  senses,  of 
quicker  and  subtler  modes  of  feeling  and  communi- 
cating. They  show  that  we  can  in  a  measure  already 
overcome  space,  that  we  are  only  partly  aware  of 
our  greatest  powers. 

These  dimly  perceived  experiences  and  partly 
quickened  faculties  are  doubtless  to  be  our  habitual 
modes  of  perception  and  activity  in  our  more  spirit- 
ual life.  These  powers  grow  in  proportion  as  we 
believe  in  and  trust  them.  By  regarding  them  as 
independently  spiritual,  we  may  form  a  fairly  definite 
idea  of  our  future  experience,  which  must  be  char- 
acterised by  a  far  wider  range  of  information,  a 
much  freer  and  easier  method  of  communication  be- 
tween souls,  and  a  more  efficient  and  rapid  mode  of 
action. 

These  endeavours  to  gain  knowledge  by  intuition, 
rather  than  through  the  ordinary  and  slower  chan- 
nels, put  the  mind  into  the  habit  of  expecting 
spiritual  help.  Thus  the  subconscious  life  is  brought 
into  play,  and  greater  receptivity  is  developed.  The 
soul  also  becomes  more  self-reliant.  It  discovers 
new  resources.  It  becomes  more  at  home  in  its 
own  inner  world.     And  all  this  is  a  preparation  fp^ 


Immortality  229 

an  existence  which  is  to  be  continuously  maintained 
without  the  stimulus  of  physical  sensation. 

Therefore  make  it  a  rule  of  life  to  consult  the 
Spirit  first  of  all,  on  any  subject,  however  trivial,  if 
it  be  something  really  worth  while,  especially  when 
you  wish  to  know  which  of  two  alternatives  to  choose 
in  matters  of  conscience  and  the  heart,  when  in  need 
of  help  in  times  of  illness  and  sorrow.  Ask  what 
way  you  shall  turn,  and  wait  the  impression.  Ask 
how  things  are  to  be.  Ask  what  is  right,  what  is  as 
opposed  to  what  seems,  or  as  contrasted  with  mere 
theory,  and  so  try  to  learn  directly  from  the  realities 
of  life  instead  of  by  the  devious  methods  of  conven- 
tional inquiry  and  speculation. 

Another  mode  of  discovering  the  real  nature  of 
the  soul  and  its  probable  future  state  is  to  take  care- 
ful note  of  the  conditions  under  which  the  highest 
inspirations  come,  also  to  note  the  superior  character 
of  these  guidances. 

In  the  still,  deeply  peaceful  hours  of  the  soul,  one 
experiences  a  freedom,  an  extension  of  the  sphere 
of  feeling  and  thought,  which  is  of  itself  sufificient 
evidence  to  many  minds  that  the  soul  already  dwells 
in  eternity.  One  passes,  as  it  were,  into  another 
world,  a  purer,  happier,  larger  world.  The  thought 
is  drawn  away  from  the  mere  moment  to  the  con- 
templation of  great  wholes  or  masses  of  time.  It  is 
drawn  away  from  any  particular  region  of  space. 
It  feels  at  one  with  the  universe.  It  is  in  close 
touch  with  the  heart  of  things. 

One  is  convinced  that  this  experience,  although 


230  Immortality 

brief,  and  as  yet  far  beyond  the  will  to  control,  is 
nevertheless  nearer  the  real  experience,  nearest  the 
dreamless  life.  From  this  temporary  point  of  view, 
our  daily  experience  seems  only  a  dream,  an  experi- 
ence beset  with  manifold  illusions  and  imprisoning 
conditions,  a  phase  of  existence  which  the  soul  must 
pass  through,  so  that,  by  thus  dreaming  and  evolv- 
ing, by  becoming  unselfish  and  true,  it  may  know 
and  value  the  spiritual  life,  and  cleave  to  that  for- 
evermore. 

If  this  be  so,  if  ours  is  the  dream  life  and  that  the 
reality,  there  is  every  reason  to  cultivate  these  hours 
of  reposeful  contemplation,  that  we  may  draw  power 
thence,  and  gradually  win  our  freedom  from  the 
sense  life,  at  the  same  time  turning  this  power  to 
practical  account  in  the  expression  and  ministry  of 
the  Spirit. 

Oh,  what  a  great,  inexpressibly  profound  and 
beautiful  truth  it  is  that  here  and  now  we  are  deni- 
zens of  a  spiritual  world,  that  we  live  in  eternity, 
intimately  and  for  ever  in  the  immediate  presence  of 
the  eternal  Spirit,  the  great  All-Father! 

Let  us  pause  for  a  moment  to  realise  the  meaning 
of  this  supreme  truth ;  for  from  the  present  point  of 
view  it  is  the  first  essential,  the  surest  approach  to 
genuine  knowledge  of  the  soul,  the  best  preparation 
for  our  freer  life. 

First,  this  real  world  of  Spirit  and  the  soul,  al- 
though organically  related  to  it,  is  in  a  sense  superior 
to  the  bondages  of  the  time-world.  We  are  not  to 
think  of  the  immortal  world  as  a  realm  where  we 


Immortality  231 

may  have  successive  incarnations.  All  that  is 
secondary,  and  is  another  subject.  The  soul  gains 
experience  and  expresses  itself  through  the  world  of 
time,  possibly  in  more  than  one  physical  existence. 
But  in  itself,  as  we  are  now  considering  it,  it  is  above 
time,  in  a  limitless  world  where  one  is  not  under 
compulsion  to  meet  an  appointment  or  catch  a 
train.  In  itself  the  soul  is  an  individual  manifesta- 
tion of  the  eternal  Father.  In  this,  the  Father's 
timeless  world,  the  source  and  ruler  of  all  lesser 
realms  of  being,  there  is  peace,  uninterrupted  love, 
entire  restfulness. 

Let  us  not  forget  this  its  most  helpful  aspect. 
Its  power,  its  peace,  is  like  food  whereof  we  may 
eat.  Its  love  and  beauty  are  spiritual  elements 
which  the  soul  may  assimilate  and  manifest.  Its 
atmosphere  we  may  breathe  and  absorb,  expanding 
while  we  dwell  in  its  sacred  precincts,  becoming 
more  hopeful,  more  in  earnest,  more  loving  and 
sympathetic.  We  may  lay  aside  our  burdens,  put 
away  our  problems,  for  the  time  being,  and  so  find 
rest  from  all  striving,  rest  and  peace  for  the  soul. 

Yet  higher  still,  highest  of  all,  most  beautiful  and 
most  abounding  in  peace,  although  the  most  diffi- 
cult to  suggest,  is  that  sublime  presence,  that  en- 
folding love,  that  sustaining  peace  which  we  call 
Spirit.  The  Father  is  literally  and  truly  present. 
No  bounds  and  no  barriers  separate  him  from  the 
soul.  Oh,  the  joy  of  that  ineffable  communion,  the 
deep,  calm,  abiding  joy!  What  repose  is  ours  in 
the  love  which  sustains  us,  what  guidance,  what 


232  Immortality 

insight,  what  strength !  The  universe  seems  at  our 
command.  All  powers  and  orders  of  being  are 
centralised  where  we  abide.  The  soul  listens,  peers 
far  forward  and  out  over  the  surface  of  things,  is 
given  an  instant's  glimpse  of  the  organisation  which 
holds  all  things  and  beings  together,  then  with- 
draws to  its  problems  and  its  undeveloped  lower 
life,  that  it  may  carry  those  problems  and  that  life 
a  stage  farther  in  the  outward  manifestation  of 
these  sublime  insights. 

Henceforth,  the  soul  really  knows  that  the  Spirit 
exists,  that  there  is  a  spiritual  world  where  individ- 
ual souls  eternally  dwell.  There  is  no  need  of  argu- 
ment. The  usual  discussions  and  manifestations  of 
spiritism  seem  low  and  foreign  in  the  extreme. 
That  is  direct,  central,  sure;  these  are  derived, 
superficial,  more  or  less  subject  to  doubt.  While 
the  vision  lasts,  all  is  perfectly  clear.  It  is  only 
when  the  vision  ceases  that  the  realisation  of  it 
seems  difficult,  the  evidences  of  it  wholly  intangible, 
its  interpretation  to  others  almost  impossible. 

Personal  preparation  for  the  future  life  is,  how- 
ever, only  one  aspect  of  our  doctrine.  Two  or  more 
congenial  souls  may  attain  a  high  level  together. 
There  is  a  higher  law  of  love  than  the  love  of  the 
flesh.  It  is  the  discovery,  while  we  are  still  on 
earth,  of  the  soul's  affinity,  which  draws  together 
those  who  live  on  the  same  plane,  regardless  of  space. 

Souls  that  really  know  each  other  here,  those 
whose  love  has  conquered  the  flesh,  so  that  it  is  the 
spiritual   presence,   not  the  body,  which  comforts 


Immortality  233 

and  cheers,  need  not  be  separated  by  the  change 
miscalled  death.  This  mutual  attainment  of  the 
soul-plane  is  surely  a  greater  accomplishment  than 
to  attain  it  alone.  It  makes  spirituality  social.  It 
proves  it  to  be  still  a  part  of  the  total,  many-sided 
human  life  which  makes  for  organic  perfection.  It 
is  the  mastery  over  the  exclusiveness  which  some- 
times characterises  the  attitude  of  seekers  after  the 
spiritual  life.  And  what  a  noble  ideal,  what  possi- 
bilities of  mutual  helpfulness  and  happiness  it  sug- 
gests, this  transcendence  of  the  flesh,  where  soul 
knows  soul,  where  it  feels  and  loves  and  is  felt  and 
loved  by  the  fellow-soul ! 

Yet  must  we  stop  here  ?  May  not  our  range  of 
soul  affinities  be  extended,  so  that  we  shall  hold 
communion  with  many  of  those  nearest  us  who  have 
gone  forward  to  the  freer  life  ?  From  the  point  of 
view  of  a  spiritual  philosophy  of  life,  there  is  surely 
no  reason  why  souls  should  not  return.  If  the  soul 
is  the  real  centre  of  power  and  possesses  finer  senses, 
a  percipient  and  active  spiritual  organism  which  it 
bears  away  with  it  when  it  leaves  this  life,  it  must 
be  able  to  act  upon  and  to  express  itself  to  other 
souls  far  more  successfully  than  when  here.  Of 
course,  one  must  allow  time  for  the  transition  and 
for  adjustment  to  a  new  environment.  But,  that 
granted,  why  should  not  these  freer  souls  make  their 
thoughts  and  feelings  known  through  the  perceptive 
organisms  of  those  still  in  the  flesh,  not  through 
mediumship,  but  by  direct  transfer  of  thought  and 
spiritual  power  ? 


234  Immortality 

If  this  can  be  done,  the  critic  asks  why  such  mes- 
sages are  not  frequently  received  ?  The  answer, 
already  suggested  in  a  previous  chapter,  is  that  it  is 
probably  easy  for  the  freed  soul  to  send  out  its 
thought  or  spirit,  but  very  difficult  for  those  in  the 
flesh  to  perceive  it.  We  are  too  active.  We  are 
still  absorbed  in  our  dream  life ;  and  it  is  difficult 
for  outside  thoughts  to  find  an  entrance,  although 
it  is  very  probable  that  many  thoughts  are  uncon- 
sciously received  from  this  source.  Again,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  distinguish  between  a  real  spiritual  mes- 
sage and  our  own  expectation  or  suggestion. 

I  once  carried  on  a  series  of  telepathic  experi- 
ments with  a  young  man  of  marked  psychic  power. 
For  a  while  the  results  were  very  satisfactory ;  and 
we  not  only  transmitted  thoughts,  but  also  distinct 
mental  pictures,  such  as  faces  of  people  whom  we 
knew.  But  after  a  time  our  minds  became  so  ac- 
customed to  these  particular  experiments  that, 
despite  our  wills,  the  mind  would  quickly  suggest 
some  thought  or  picture  before  it  could  receive 
thoughts  from  the  other  mind.  We  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  maintain  entire  receptivity,  even  for  a 
moment,  so  ready  was  the  mind  to  anticipate  the 
familiar  experiments. 

And  so,  in  regard  to  real  messages  from  our 
friends  who  have  gone  beyond.  The  mind  tends  to 
simulate  them,  and  make  receptivity  very  difficult 
of  attainment.  If  one  seems  to  feel  a  spiritual  pres- 
ence, a  cool  breath  upon  the  brow,  or  if  one  appar- 
ently beholds  a  face  in  the  darkness,  it  is  very  easy 


Immortality  235 

to  make  it  speak,  and  so  deceive  one's  self.  The 
earnest  investigator  must  be  on  his  guard  to  avoid 
these  subtle  illusions. 

'  Owing  to  these  difficulties,  it  is  better,  as  a  rule, 
to  leave  all  advances  for  the  free  or  excarnate  soul. 
It  is  inadvisable  to  call  our  friends  back.  They 
have  their  duties  and  occupations,  and  we  should 
grant  them  full  liberty.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
rational  to  believe  that  they  can  come  to  us  if  neces- 
sary. 

It  is  well  for  sensitively  organised  souls  to  avoid 
reaching  out  to  or  thinking  much  of  the  next  phase 
of  existence.  All  these  things  will  come  in  due  time 
if  we  are  moderate  in  our  development.  The  diffi- 
culty usually  is  that  we  are  too  eager. 

There  is  another  reason  for  limiting  these  experi- 
ences; namely,  the  great  thought  which  is  my 
central  theme  in  this  chapter,  the  direct  communion 
of  the  soul  with  the  Spirit.  If  we  devote  the  larger 
part  of  our  spiritual  life  to  growth  in  this  highest 
direction,  these  minor  phases  of  life  will  be  rightly 
adjusted.  We  must  choose  whom  we  will  serve. 
If  the  choice  falls  on  this  highest  spiritual  endeavour, 
the  soul  will  surely  move  most  directly  toward  the 
goal,  toward  normal,  many-sided  spiritual  develop- 
ment and  freedom. 

The  question  is  frequently  asked  in  these  days. 
Is  bodily  immortality  possible  ?  It  may  be  possible, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  it  be  desirable ;  for,  if  the  next 
phase  of  life  be  freer,  richer,  more  spiritual,  why 
should  we  not  enter  that  life  in  due  course  ? 


236  Immortality 

At  the  same  time  it  is  desirable  to  prolong  the 
present  existence  until  we  shall  have  derived  the  full 
benefit  from  it.  Many  people  pass  out  of  this  life 
because  they  are  killed  by  powerful  drugs.  Many 
leave  because  of  their  fears,  or  because  in  a  fit  of 
despondency  they  desire  to  die.  There  is  positive 
evidence  that  some  at  least  have  the  power  to  post- 
pone or  hasten  their  going  by  an  act  of  will.  I  once 
had  an  opportunity  to  observe,  during  many  months, 
a  case  where  death  was  frequently  warded  off  while 
there  was  a  strong  desire  to  live,  but  finally  hastened 
so  that  great  suffering  ensued,  when  the  person  in 
question  thought  the  time  had  come  when  she 
**  might  as  well  die.*' 

A  lady  friend  informed  me  that  twice  in  her  life 
she  had  been  so  ill,  and  so  nearly  out  of  the  body, 
that  it  rested  with  her  to  snap  a  thread,  as  it  were, 
to  decide  whether  the  moving  to  go  was  stronger 
than  the  call  to  stay. 

Again,  death  might  be  averted  in  thousands  of 
cases  by  the  right  understanding.  Those  who  have 
arrived  at  the  plane  of  spiritual  self-help,  and  those 
who  know  what  their  sensations  mean,  are  able  to 
pass  through  acute  experiences  which  would  be 
sufficient  to  send  the  untrained  soul  out  of  the 
body.  If  the  fears  be  kept  down,  and  a  calm,  even 
state  of  mind  be  maintained,  one  can  pass  through 
almost  any  experience,  and  retain  one's  physical  hold 
of  life.  It  is  pitiful  to  think  how  many  pass  out  of 
this  life  because  of  ignorance  of  these  great  truths. 

It  is  also  possible  to  prolong  life  by  studying  the 


Immortality  237 

intimate  relationship  of  mind  and  matter,  by  learn- 
ing to  control  the  physical  forces  and  the  nerves. 
Many  physical  aids  may  be  called  in  to  assist  the 
process  of  developing  and  retaining  perfect  health. 
For  example,  regular  physical  exercise,  the  proper 
care  of  the  body,  proper  foods,  and  a  simple,  pure 
life.  It  is  the  rushing,  nervous,  heated,  sensuous 
life  that  kills. 

I  mention  these  physical  methods  first,  because  of 
their  value  in  connection  with  the  spiritual  methods ; 
and,  second,  because  they  are  wofully  neglected. 
Man  lives  an  animal  or  nervous  life,  then  complains 
because  he  is  ill  and  subject  to  death.  He  expects 
and  hopes  to  reach  old  age,  yet  is  unwilling  to  ob- 
serve the  conditions  of  equanimity  and  equilibrium 
which  render  long  life  possible.  He  must  reform 
his  habits  if  he  wishes  to  be  long-lived  and  healthy. 
He  must  adopt  the  ideal  of  perpetual  youth,  and 
permit  no  day  to  pass  without  its  activity  and  care 
with  that  end  in  view.  He  must  not  only  keep 
young  in  spirit,  but  keep  the  body  young. 

Disease  can  be  wholly  overcome !  It  rests  with 
man  to  destroy  it,  if  he  approaches  the  problem  on 
both  its  mental  and  physical  sides.  Disease  once 
mastered,  the  race  can  begin  a  thoroughly  healthy 
study  of  the  mind,  its  powers  of  controlling  the 
physical  system  and  of  transmitting  thought.  The 
healthy  mind  can  then  turn  toward  the  spiritual 
world  with  wonderfully  increased  psychic  power. 

When  this  purer,  wiser  phase  of  life,  equanimity, 
mental  and  physical  health,  shall  be  attained,  man 


238  Immortality 

will  undoubtedly  live  much  longer,  perhaps  to  the 
age  of  several  hundred  years.  But  under  these 
conditions  his  life  will  become  more  refined  and 
spiritual.  He  will  gradually  disappear  from  the 
eyes  of  physical  man,  although  still  retaining  a  form ; 
that  is,  a  more  refined  form. 

It  seems  rational  to  believe  that  the  soul  has  an 
invisible  body  which  is  in  process  of  growth  even 
while  the  soul  resides  in  the  flesh.  If  the  law  of 
evolution  applies  in  the  spiritual  realm,  sufficient 
time  must  be  allowed  for  the  growth  of  this  finer 
body;  and,  as  the  soul  does  not  step  suddenly  into 
perfect  spiritual  existence,  this  development  must 
precede  the  change  called  death,  at  least  in  instances 
where  there  is  some  degree  of  soul-knowledge. 

From  the  time  of  the  dawning  of  soul-activity, 
there  is  evidently  a  gradual  awakening  and  develop- 
ment of  the  spiritual  life  within  and  superior  to  the 
physical  life.  Every  fresh  spiritual  discovery  in  re- 
gard to  ourselves,  every  spiritual  deed,  is  an  advance 
in  that  direction.  Our  poise,  our  self-control,  our 
love  at  its  best,  is  of  the  soul.  If  we  were  wise 
enough,  and  had  conquered  all  disease,  life  would 
be  a  gradual  unfolding,  like  the  maturing  of  a  flower, 
so  that,  when  the  right  time  should  come,  the  soul 
would  blossom  out  into  the  next  life  unimpeded  and 
painlessly. 

Victory  over  death  therefore  means  the  conquer- 
ing of  all  those  conditions  by  which  man  brings  it 
upon  himself,  through  ignorance,  fear,  disease,  ex- 
cess, and  a  sensuous  life.   The  victory  is  progressive : 


Immortality  239 

it  begins  the  moment  man  transfers  his  conscious- 
ness from  the  flesh  to  the  soul.  The  soul  can 
conquer  the  flesh.  As  rapidly  as  it  conquers,  it 
becomes  free.  And,  as  it  becomes  free,  it  builds 
about  itself  a  new  body,  a  finer  substance,  a  finer 
mode  of  vibration  in  the  ether  than  that  called 
material.  When  it  shall  have  fully  conquered,  all 
life  will  be  spiritually  understood,  and  what  once 
was  called  death  will  be  seen  to  be  but  one  among 
thousands  of  transitions  from  lower  to  higher. 
What  seems  death  on  a  lower  plane  is  seen  as  birth 
from  the  higher.  There  is  apparent  cessation  of 
life  only  while  we  are  immersed  in  the  process. 
There  is  only  immortality  from  the  point  of  view 
of  the  higher  law. 

The  essential  thought,  then,  is  that  life  is  con- 
tinuous, that  because  of  our  organic  many-sidedness 
we  already  live  in  eternity,  and  need  not  travel  be- 
yond our  physical  home  to  find  what  is  real,  what 
is  enduring,  what  is  worth  while.  To  realise  this 
great  thought,  it  is  necessary  to  put  the  mind 
through  a  gradual  process  of  transfer  of  interest  and 
consciousness  from  the  transient  to  the  permanent, 
from  the  outer  to  the  inner,  from  the  visible  to  the 
invisible.  Think  of  the  soul  as  the  life  principle,  as 
possessing  the  life.  Think  of  it  as  a  part  of  the 
timeless,  spaceless  world  where,  for  all  we  know,  life 
never  begins  and  never  ends.  Think  of  it  as  your 
true  self,  as  that  part  of  you  which  you  really  care 
for,  as  that  which  you  love  in  other  people.  Be- 
come more  and  more  superior  to  time  and  place. 


240  Immortality 

less  annoyed  by  the  happenings  and  inconveniences 
of  the  world  of  place  and  time.  Let  it  matter  less 
and  less  what  you  do,  so  long  as  it  is  inspired  from 
the  soul.  And  so  live  in  the  soul,  live  from  the 
soul,  give  of  your  soul,  call  out  the  soul  in  others. 

Disabuse  the  mind  of  all  thought  of  death  as  com- 
monly understood,  and  look  upon  the  change  as  an 
external  incident.  Think  of  the  soul,  and  rejoice 
in  the  fuller  freedom  of  the  soul  of  those  who  have 
passed  beyond,  thus  ridding  the  mind  of  the  con- 
ventional ideas  of  sorrow  and  separation. 

Is  this  thought  of  the  continuous  life  sufficient  to 
sustain  the  sorrowing  heart,  so  that  it  may  pass 
through  any  separation  from  loved  ones,  yet  main- 
tain its  strength  ?  Yes,  this  general  attitude  of 
mind  tends  to  invite  the  strength  which  will  sustain 
the  soul  when  it  is  too  weak  to  strengthen  itself. 
Nothing  is  more  beautiful  than  the  manifestation  of 
the  Spirit  at  the  time  of  the  great  transition,  when 
the  thought  of  all  present  is  that  of  the  continuous 
life.  There  is  an  unusual  manifestation  of  the  sus- 
taining Presence  and  Love  at  such  a  time.  It  is  one 
of  the  greatest  opportunities  for  spiritual  faith  and 
receptivity.  It  is  one  of  the  supreme  tests  of  life. 
The  manner  in  which  some  enlightened  souls  have 
met  this  great  experience  is,  in  the  opinion  of  their 
friends,  the  best  evidence  of  the  truth  and  power  of 
their  doctrine. 

It  is  such  a  test  of  faith  which  translates  theory 
into  practice,  mere  talk  about  something  into  the 
realit}/  itself.     The  soul  bears  away  a  new  power. 


Immortality  241 

Henceforth  it  knows  whereof  it  speaks,  and  is 
greatly  superior  in  power  and  sympathy  to  those 
who  are  trying  to  persuade  people  that  all  trust  can 
be  acquired  through  mere  perception,  without  the 
ministry  of  suffering. 

It  is  because  of  the  deep  reality  of  these  soul  ex- 
periences that  I  pass  by  most  of  the  arguments 
against  immortality.  One  cannot  prove  immortal- 
ity.^ The  immortal  life  is  the  only  proof.  It  is 
less  an  affair  of  argument  and  more  an  affair  of  ex- 
perience than  most  questions.  Therefore,  I  shall 
close  this  discussion  with  only  a  brief  consideration 
of  the  objections  from  the  physical  side. 

These  objections  are  one  and  all  based,  I  take  it^ 
upon  some  assumption  about  reality.  Over  against 
these  physical  assumptions  I  place,  as  every  whit  as 
good,  the  sense  of  reality  of  those  whose  point  of 
view  is  the  existence  of  a  spiritual  soul.  If  these 
deepest  inner  experiences  be  unreal,  it  is  time  to 
question  the  reality  of  every  experience  in  life. 

The  realities  of  the  inner  world  have  the  advant- 
age of  being  nearer  to  us.  They  are  affairs  of  con- 
sciousness, to  be  sure,  but  so  are  all  the  experiences 
and  relations  of  life,  when  fundamentally  considered ; 
for,  in  the  ultimate  analysis,  it  is  all  a  question  of 
differing  planes  of  organic  consciousness. 

If,  then,  the  spiritual  plane  of  consciousness  is 

^  To  some  it  may  seem  that  spirit  manifestations  are  a  proof.  But 
psychic  communication,  if  proved,  only  establishes  the  fact  of  con- 
tinued existence  ;  it  does  not  leap  beyond  the  experimental  ideal  and 

prove  that  souls  are  to  live  for  ever, 
z6 


242  Immortality 

the  highest,  the  freest,  fullest  of  happiness  and 
peace,  we  have  every  reason  to  cling  to  that  as  the 
most  real ;  and  so  far  as  our  power  of  choice  may  be 
influential,  we  have  the  strongest  reason  for  willing 
that  the  spiritual  consciousness  shall,  if  any,  be  im- 
mortal. 

Some  may  not  desire  immortality,  and  may  think 
it  burdensome  to  contemplate  untold  ages  of  exist- 
ence. But  the  healthy  mind  rejoices  in  life,  and 
wants  to  live.  It  is  of  minor  consequence  that  in 
a  few  cases  the  desire  is  contrary  to  the  deep  long- 
ing for  continuous  existence  which  many  feel. 

From  every  point  of  approach  we  are  able  to 
guard  our  belief  in  immortality,  so  long  as  we 
remain  true  to  the  highest  sentiments  of  the  soul. 
If  some  are  unaware  of  those  experiences,  it  is 
evidently  because  they  have  not  yet  been  quick- 
ened on  the  spiritual  plane.  From  their  point  of 
view,  our  entire  mental  life  is  conditioned  by  its 
accompanying  physical  phenomena.  Immersed  in 
the  physical  brain,  and  engaged  in  the  study  of  phy- 
sical states,  their  thought  naturally  partakes  of  their 
occupation.  To  them  thinking  is  purely  a  cerebral 
affair.  Consequently,  they  cannot  yet  conceive  of 
the  existence  of  a  soul  without  a  cerebrum. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  Is  there  any  evidence 
that  we  shall  be  able  to  think  and  to  remember 
when  the  soul  has  been  separated  from  its  physical 
organ  of  thought  ?  The  evidence  is  the  same  that 
I  have  offered  throughout,  namely,  that  in  the 
deeper  analyses  the  soul,  and  not  the  brain,  is  found 


Immortality  243 

to  be  the  centre  of  thought,  feeling,  and  activity. 
The  brain  is  the  organ  of  perception  and  transmis- 
sion.'    It  is  the  soul  that  perceives,  wills,  and  acts. 

For  example,  the  brain  cannot  learn  to  walk  or  to 
talk.  It  is  the  soul  of  the  child  which  conceives  the 
idea  of  walking  or  talking.  The  brain  is  acted  upon, 
and  made  to  acquire  the  habits  which  thereafter 
subconsciously  regulate  the  child's  walking  and 
talking. 

As  a  wise  man  has  said,  it  is  almost  as  difificult  to 
conceive  the  existence  of  the  soul  in  possession  of  a 
physical  brain  as  to  understand  how  it  can  live  with- 
out it.'  In  any  case,  it  is  in  part  a  mystery.  In 
view  of  this  fact,  that  we  do  not  fully  know  what 
thought  is,  would  it  not  be  a  tremendous  assump- 
tion to  affirm  that,  when  the  physical  brain  dies,  all 
thinking  must  cease  ? 

Our  future  thinking  may  possess  different  charac- 
teristics, it  is  true.  When  the  soul  leaves  the  body, 
it  may  lose  its  physical  habits,  and  the  feelings  as- 
sociated with  their  performance  through  the  physical 
brain,  yet  carry  with  it  the  power  to  acquire  new 
habits  in  the  spiritual  life.  Thinking,  perceiving, 
and  acting  are  less  physical  in  proportion  as  they 
are  separated  from  physical  movements,  and  the 
faculties  of  the  soul  become  active.  The  physical 
man   may   think   largely  with  his   brain;   bur  the 

*  See  Professor  James,  Human  Immortality,  p.  15.  Houghton, 
Mifflin,  &  Co.,  1898. 

^  Martineau,  Endeavors  After  the  Christian  Life,  p.  no.  A.  U. 
A.  edition,  Boston,  1888. 


244  Immortality 

spiritual  man  thinks  through  and  beyond  his  brain 
until  he  learns  to  control  it,  and  transcend  physical 
sensation.  He  depends  more  and  more  upon 
spiritual  intuition. 

As  for  memory,  if  any  part  of  our  character  sur- 
vives, memory  must  survive  with  it.  There  would 
be  a  break  in  the  continuity  of  life  and  of  evolution, 
a  dropping  back,  if  the  actor  survived  without  re- 
membrance of  how  he  acted  as  this  particular  indi- 
vidual. It  is  when  the  physical  body  is  out  of  the 
way,  in  the  dreamless  life,  that  the  soul  can  truly 
perceive  what  it  is  and  what  it  has  done.  It  may 
not  reason  by  the  slow  processes  of  the  flesh-bound 
soul.  But  the  direct  vision  of  things,  which  is  sure 
to  come  when  it  begins  to  be  at  home  in  the  spiritual 
world,  will  undoubtedly  include  all  that  our  intellects 
now  know  and  very  much  more.  A  new  phase  will 
thus  be  added  to  our  experimental  life,  and  new 
material  furnished  for  philosophical  thought. 

Memory  is  not  an  affair  of  cerebral  impressions 
alone.  It  is  part  and  parcel  of  our  nature.  Our 
deeds  become  a  part  of  us :  they  make  us  for  good 
or  ill.  By  the  eternal  law  of  cause  and  effect  we 
cannot  escape  them.  That  law  must  hold  true  of 
the  new  life,  or  it  is  not  a  law  at  all,  and  is  not  bind- 
ing even  here.  We  must  begin  life  there  where  we 
left  it  here.  There  are  no  sudden  leaps  in  evolu- 
tion, except  in  cases  where  evolution  has  prepared 
for  them,  as  in  the  bursting  of  the  bud,  which  I 
have  compared  to  the  blossoming  of  the  soul. 

In  the  eternal  order  of  things  we  stand  for  what 


Immortality  245 

we  are  worth  as  souls.  What  we  are  worth  as  souls 
the  future  will  reveal,  by  drawing  conditions  corre- 
sponding to  the  state  of  development  with  which 
we  enter  the  next  phase  of  life.  It  is  the  spiritual 
character  or  consciousness  that  avails.  Conse- 
quently, the  desideratum  is  to  come  to  judgment 
here,  that  we  may  honestly  know  where  we  stand. 

All  may  be  summarised  under  the  head  of  spiritual 
consciousness,  the  knowledge  and  self-control,  the 
love  and  peace  and  poise  each  may  possess  here  and 
now.  Thus  our  doctrine  becomes  purely  practical, 
namely,  to  live  in  continual  consciousness  of  the 
soul-life  out  of  which  the  freer  spiritual  existence 
shall  be  in  due  time  developed.  It  is  of  more  con- 
sequence to  live  from  the  soul,  to  live  close  to  the 
Father,  than  to  exist  for  ever.  This  may  be  a  mere 
platitude;  but  it  is,  after  all,  the  most  practical  as- 
pect of  the  question,  so  apt  are  we  to  anticipate,  to 
pry  into  the  future,  when  the  wise  present  should 
be  our  concern.  One  might  almost  summarise  the 
doctrine  by  saying.  Live  deeply  enough  in  the 
present  and  you  shall  find  immortality.  **  The 
eternal  life  is  not  the  future  life,**  says  Amiel:  **  it 
is  life  in  harmony  with  the  true  order  of  things, — life 
in  God.*'  The  deep  life  of  the  present  is  the  deep 
life  in  the  Spirit  who  owns  all  time.  Seek  him, 
seek  the  Spirit,  and  all  that  is  just  and  wise" will 
follow.  If  eternal  life  comes,  it  will  be  because  the 
Spirit  needs  us.  If  it  do  not  come,  our  career  will 
end  only  when  the  Father's  work  through  us  is  done. 
He  who  is  superior  to  the  personal  desire  for  it,  who 


246  Immortality 

IS  willing  to  lose  himself,  is  most  likely  to  win  im- 
mortality, if  it  is  in  any  sense  to  be  had  for  the 
winning. 

For  it  is  the  Christ-spirit  that  bringeth  eternal  life 
to  light,  and  that  spirit  comes  in  its  fulness  only 
when  man  is  most  absorbed  in  the  great  work  of  the 
universe  and  least  concerned  for  himself.  In  the 
far  inward  world  of  the  soul,  that  pure  spirit  speak- 
eth.  It  comes  to  bless.  It  comes  to  sustain,  to 
inspire,  and  to  restore.  He  who  lowly  listens  there 
shall  hear  its  gentle  messages.  He  who  is  faithful 
to  these  promptings  need  not  give  the  future  an 
anxious  thought.  Receptivity,  trust,  and  co-opera- 
tion, these  are  the  three  essentials  from  the  human 
side.  They  prepare  the  way  for  all  that  the  race 
has  need  of.     They  bring  all  that  any  man  deserves. 

**  When  my  time  comes,  may  I  so  gently  pass 
I  shall  not  stir  this  life-round  wonderful, 
Like  flicker  of  soft  wind  o'er  summer  grass 
Or  dip  of  pebble  dropped  in  some  deep  pool. 

**  Lament  me  not,  beloved,  shed  no  tear 
Because  of  cession  of  the  finite  powers  ; 
Lay  only  happy  thoughts  upon  my  bier, 

And  hope  and  love,  which  are  immortal  flowers. 

*'  Knowing  I  have  departed  not,  but  thus 
Do  but  assume  a  finer  medium 
To  make  a  little  space  more  luminous 

For  thy  dear  feet  to  tread  when  thou  dost  come." 


^   or  TH£ 


UNIVERSITY 


or 


£ALlFCli^ 


INDEX 


Abbot,  F.  E.,  159,  175,  176 
Abelard,  15 
Absolute,  the,  3,  204 
Absolute  point  of  view,  the,  181 
Action  and  reaction,  2,  5,  79-81, 

151,  202 
Addison,  123 
Adjustment,  44,  46,  48,  no,  199, 

205,  206 
Affirmation,  44-46 
Age  of  conceit,  the,  100 
Age  of  reason,  the,  95,  100 
Agnosticism,  175,  193 
Allen,  T.  E.,  70 
•*  All  is  good,"  180,  185 
Amiel,  170,  245 
AfJtong  My  Books ^  10 1 
Among  the  Forest  People^  81 
Anger,  32,  36,  37,  39 
Artist,  the,  114,  116,  140 
Aspirations  of  the  World^  103 
Attention,  54,  55,  57,  81,  89,98, 

149,  202 
Attitude,  the  ideal,  4,  6,  9,  24, 

214 

Beauty,  204,  206-208 
Belief,  40,  41 
Berkeley,  102 
Bicyclists,  39-41 
Blood-flow,  37 
Books,  100-103,  145 
Bradley,  158,  159,  174 
Brain^  The  Abdominal^  32 
Brain,  the,  'i\2.''i\ii^ 

Csesar,  104 

California,  incident  in,  60 


Carpenter,  62 

Causation,  2,  181,  19 1 

Child.  L.  M.,  103 

Child,  the,  73-92 

Child-Life,  87 

Children,  methods  of  training, 
78-92 

Christ,  the,  39,  75,  182,  220,  246 

Christ  home,  the,  140 

Clarke,  J.  F.,  102,  103 

Clergyman,  the,  140 

College,  103-106 

Colour,  144,  145 

Commercialism,  99 

Conceit,  4  ;  the  age  of,  100 

Concentration,  54,  55,  59,  89, 
90»  95,  97,  202,  226 

Conduct,  25,  34,  57,  158,  222 

Conference,  summer,  125-127 

Conscience,  188 

Consciousness,  144,  216-218 

Conservation  of  energy,  208 

Consistency,  6,  183-185 

Copernicus,  18 

Cosmic  process,  the,  12 

Creation,  20,  115,  146 

Creative  life,  the,  81 

Creativeness,  spiritual,  20,  74- 
77,  82,  85,  89,  94,  96,  102, 
115-118,  208 

Criteria  of  truth,  the,  inconceiv- 
ability of  the  opposite;"  173  ; 
self-consistency,  174;  objective 
and  subjective  evidence,  174  ; 
theological,  175  ;  unanimous 
consensus,  175-178,  187  ;  new 
metaphysical,  176-178  ;  prac- 
tical, 178,  182,  193,  194;  ra- 


247 


248 


Index 


Criteria  of  truth — Continued 
tional,  179,  186  ;  religious, 
179;  concrete,  18  r  ;  consist- 
ency, 183-185  ;  relativity  of 
all,  185  ;  common-sense,  186  ; 
intuitive,  187  ;  experiential, 
187  ;  disbelief,  188  ;  analysis 
of  fact,  189  ;  raising  of  objec- 
tions, 189  ;  proof,  190--192  ; 
summary  of,  193  ;  results  of 
study  of,  198 

Damocles,  209 

Darwin,  12,  16,  102,  167,  168, 
209 

Davis,  M.  S.,  78 

Death,  9,  34,  83,  148,  221,  233, 
236-240 

Deceit,  99 

Democracy,  4,  11,  16,  50 

Descartes,  216 

Devil,  151 

Dhama,  221 

Discoveries,  18-20,  30,  32 

Disease,  8,  31,  33,  46,  146,  148, 
166,  237  ;  mental  theory  of, 
39,  40 ;  relation  to  subcon- 
sciousness, 57  ;  in  childhood, 
79,  80 

Dogmatism,  4,  180 

Doubt,  165,  167 

Dreams,  70 

Drugs,  32,  34,  44,  46,  79,  166, 
236 

Duty,  204 

Educated  man,  the,  25,  113,  152 
Education,  life  and,  iii,  3-6,  22, 
26,  220;  new  discoveries  and, 
18,  19  ;  ideals  of,  18-30,  109, 
no;  theories  of,  19-22,  95; 
intellectual,  20,  21,  105,  113; 
current,  20,  30,  97,  106  ;  pur- 
pose of,  21,  22,  25,  26,  94; 
spiritual  ideal  in,  22,  24,  25, 
30,  32,  52,  73,  109;  defined, 
23,  25,  III,  113  ;  many-sided, 
26,  32,  48,  94,  109,  no,  113, 


114,  198,  215,  216;  the  new, 
27,  73  ;  self  and,  27,  109  ; 
school  system  and,  28  ;  sub- 
conscious mind  and,  28,  30, 
57  ;  higher,  29,  103  ;  univer- 
sal, 30  ;  health  and,  31,  46,  52, 
96 ;  spiritual  atmosphere  in, 
38  ;  work  and,  46 ;  elective 
system  in,  71,  95,  gS,  103,  104, 
187  ;  the  child  in,  73  et  seq.; 
idealistic  methods  in,  74,  78, 
80,  85  ;  Froebel  on,  90,  91  ; 
experimental,  92,  109-111, 
210  ;  social  ideal  and,  94,  109, 
no;  German  system  of,  95, 
96  ;  Miinsterberg  on,  96,  98  ; 
misfits  in,  96  et  seq.,  108; 
practical,  97-101  ;  high  schools 
and,  99,  107  ;  soul's  awaken- 
ing and,  100-103  ;  books  and, 
100-103  ;  general  reading  and, 
101-108 ;  religion  and,  102; 
travel  and,  103  ;  business  and, 
103 ;  college,  103-106  ;  classi- 
cal, 104  ;  college  preparatory, 
104-107  ;  technical,  105  ;  in- 
termediate, 106  ;  examinations 
and,  106  ;  Emerson  on,  106, 
107 ;  through  self-training, 
108  ;  imitation  in,  108  ;  free- 
dom in,  109,  133  ;  art  and, 
109,  114,  116  ;  Jordan  on, 
no;  Spirit  and,  111-114; 
highest,  III,  114,  226;  basis 
of,  113,  114;  in  summer,  125- 
135  ;  relativity  and,  144  ;  so- 
cial problem  and,  152 ;  phi- 
losophy and,  153,  154,  172; 
culmination  of,  172  ;  service 
and,  198  ;  organic  basis  of, 
198  ;  perfection  and,  220 ;  im- 
mortality and,  220 

Educational  methods  in  child- 
hood, 86-92 

Educational  value  of  evil,  151 

Egoism,  218 

Elective  system,  73,  95,  98, 
187 


Index 


249 


Emerson,  i,  2,  loi,  102,  105- 
107,  no,  120,  123,  210 

Environment,  45,  49,  50,  94,  96, 
no,  133,  201 

Epicurus,  178 

Equality,  11,  128,  129 

Equanimity,  need  of,  28  ;  hered- 
itary, 29  ;  health  and,  31  ei 
seq.  ;  as  cure,  33  ;  power  o(, 
42,  50,  52,  89  ;  dynamic,  47  ; 
attainment  of,  47 ;  meaning 
of,  48  :  environment  and,  49  ; 
subconsciousness  and,  56,  72  ; 
dreams  and,  71  ;  growth  of, 
72  ;  value  of,  194,  213  ;  spirit- 
ual life  and,  222  ;  future  life 
and,  237 

Equilibrium,  36,  41,  42,  86,  148, 
236,  237 

Erdmann,  160,  162 

Eternity,  206,  207,  239 

Ethical  life,  223 

Ethics,  180 

Euclid,  4 

Evil,  origin  of,  8,  12,  13,  151  ; 
relativity  of  knowledge  and, 
143-15 1  ;  creation  and,  146, 
147,  149;  pain  and,  146-152; 
perfection  and,  147,  150,  151  ; 
goodness  and,  148,  151,  207  ; 
contrast  and,  148,  149,  207  ; 
progress  and,  150  ;  thought 
and,  150;  education  and,  151; 
devil  and,  151  ;  problem  of, 
152 ;  justification  of,  152 ; 
philosophy  and,  154  ;  non-re- 
sistance and,  183 ;  overcom- 
ing of,  184 ;  organism  and, 
198,  201  ;  nature  of,  207 

Evolution,  2,  10-19,  23,  26,  81, 

83,  93,115,  134,  149,  151,  154, 
167,  198,  207,  217  ;  education 
and,  74  ;  motherhood  and,  78  ; 
stages  oiF,  80,  89 ;  immortality 
and,  223,  224 
Examinations,  106 
Excess,  33,  44-46,  50,  75,  210 
Existence,  i,  190,  191,  205 


Experience,    24,    85,    100,    145, 
146,   148,   166,   186-188,   190- 
195,  198 
Experimental  ideal,  154,  166 
Experimental  point  of  view,  3, 
4,  167 

Fact,  21,  189 

Falckenberg,  162 

Father,  the,  6,  23,  83,  84,  140, 
199,  208,  245 

Fatigue,  45,  51 

Fear,  32,  34,  35,  38,  42,  43,  79, 
236,  238 

Fiske,  John,  102,  148 

Force,  economy  of,  44,  45  ;  re- 
lativity of,  204 

Freedom,  8,  15,  16,  41,  50,  103, 
129-135,  152,  192,  208,  215, 
230,  235,  240 

French  peasant,  instance  of,  61 

Friends,  the,  31,  32,  48 

Froebel,  91,  92 

Galileo,  18 

God,  2,  14,  190,  199  ;  origin  of, 
84  ;  method  of,  115  ;  idea  of, 
165  ;  how  known,  204 ;  the 
whole  and,  205  ;  progress  of, 
208  ;  limitations  of,  2n 

Gordon,  F.  C.,  81 

Government,  131 

Greatness,  117 

Greek,  104 

Green,  180 

Guidance,  8,  65,  109,  229,  231 

Gymnasium  system,  German,  96 

Habit,  44,  57,  85,  243 

Hall,  Stanley,  90 

Hartmann,  158  ^ 

Harvard,  103 

Health,  24,  30,  31,  38-41,  46, 
52,  114,  149,  237  ;  in  child- 
hood, 78-80 

Hegel,  162,  177 

Heredity,  74,  77 

Higher  criticism,  18 


250 


Index 


Higher  nature,  19,  21,  152 

High  school,  99,  107 

Historical  spirit,  the,  16 

History,  104 

Home,  the,  24^  76,  133,  140 

Homer,  104 

Hudson,  53,  67-70 

Hume,  191 

Huxley,  102,  159,  180 

Ideal  Motherhood,  78 

Ideals,  3,  18-30,  73-92,  112-117, 
220 

Ignorance,  2,  219 

Immortality,  experimental,  5  ; 
education  and,  220  ;  evidences 
against,  221  ;  belief  in,  221  ; 
psychical  research  and,  222  ; 
evidences  for,  222,  245  ;  spirit- 
ual life  and,  222,  226,  229, 
231,  245  ;  social  problem  and, 
223 ;  ethics  and,  223,  224  ; 
preparation  for,  224-232,  238  ; 
Spirit  and,  230-235,  245  ;  re- 
lation to  reincarnation,  231  ; 
love  and,  232  ;  soul  affinity  in, 
233 ;  spirit  communion  and, 
234,  235  ;  physical,  235-238  ; 
the  present  and,  239,  240,  245  ; 
proof  of,  241  ;  arguments 
against,  241-244 ;  desire  for, 
242  ;  thinking  and,  242-244  ; 
memory  and,  244 ;  practical, 
245  ;  discovery  of,  245  ;  Christ 
and,  246 

Inconceivability,  173 

Inconsistency,  183 

Individual,  the,  15,  17,  22,  107, 
209-211,  215,  223 

Individualism,  16,  94,  109,  214 

Individuality,  20,  22,  23,  94,  no, 
131,  I33»  150,  193,  212-215 

Induction,  66-68 

Intellect,  113 

Intolerance,  4 

Intuition,  21,  65,  109,  167,  187, 
188,  193,  199,  228 

Involution,  115 


James,  Professor,  25,  161,   171, 

186,  194,  243 
Janet,  53 
Jehovah,  13 
Jesus,  209 
Jevons,  67 
Jordan,  no 

Journal,  keeping  a,  102,  106,  120 
Judgment,  coming  to,  245 

Kant,  158,  160,  175 

Kindergarten,  73,  90-92  ;  inci- 
dent in,  83,  91 

Knowledge,  kinds  of,  159  ;  rela- 
tivity of,  3,  141-152,  165,  181, 
187-191 

Labour,  132 

Ladd,  159 

Land,  the,  130,  132 

Latin,  104 

Learning,  24 

Le  Conte,  102 

Lewes,  102,  178 

Liberty,  23,  129-135 

Life,  an  enigma,  1-3  ;  an  ex- 
periment, 3-6  ;  the  future,  5, 
222  et  seq.;  progressive,  8  ; 
spiritual,  9,  17,  22,  24 ;  new 
attitude  towards,  10,  11  ;  a 
unit,  13,  16,  194  ;  educational, 
23,  26,  154  ;  purpose  of,  26  ; 
secret  of,  46,  65,  175  ;  begin- 
nings of,  81  ;  inner,  93  ;  mean- 
ing of,  194-197  ;  organic,  197  ; 
dream,  230 ;  continuous,  239, 
240 

Literary  methods,  1 19-124 

Love,  34,  37,  38,  48,  75,  7^,  84, 
115,  117,  137,  140,  204,  238, 
245  ;  in  childhood,  78-80,  87  ; 
divine,  142  ;  higher  law  of, 
232,  237 

Lovering,  169 

Lowell,  loi,  104,  123 

Lower  and  higher,  70,  151,  224 

Lower  nature,  the,  13 

Luther,  Martin,  15 


Index 


251 


Macaulay,  100,  loi 

Mahabharata,  the,  221 

Man,  many-sided,  8,  22,  23,  26, 
114  ;  evolution  and,  12  ;  su- 
,  periority  of,  24  ;  practical,  25  ; 
the  educated,  25,  113,  152  ;  an 
epitome,  26  ;  the  ideal,  26,  74  ; 
the  real,  35,  36  ;  nature  of, 
108  ;  growth  of,  117  ;  social, 
119  ;  limitations  of,  150,  ig2, 
210  ;  glory  of,  211  ;  death  and, 

233 
Manuscripts,  120,  123,  124 
Martineau,   102,   123,   159,  180, 

243 
Meliorism,  14 

Memory,  57,  59,  98,  242-244 
Mental  atmosphere,  77 
Mental  healing,  39,  40,  176 
Merchant,  the,  22 
Metaphysics,  176-178,  186 
Methods   of    training    children, 

78-92 
Mill,  67 
Mind,   influence  of,   34-41,    52, 

56,    57,    77  ;    power  of,    39  ; 

dual  theory  of,  69  ;  mystery  of, 

117 
Minister,  the,  133,  139 
Misfits,  96,  108 
Moderation,  28,   29,  33,  43-46, 

56,  235 
Money,  124,  132 
Monism,  186 
Moody,  10 
Mosso,  37 
Mother,  the,  29,  87 
Mother's  Ideals^  ^,78 
Mozoomdar,  85 
Muller,  Max,  191 
Munsterberg,  96,  98 
Music,  112,  113 
Myers,  F.  W.  H.,  71 
Mysticism,  21,  174,  218 

Natural  law,  16,  84,  89,  90 
Nature,    restorative    power    of, 
42,  43  ;  method  of,  46  ;  beau- 


ties of,    132 ;    as    an    organ, 

200 
Nature  studies,  81,  126 
Navigators,  18 
Newspaper  business,  99 
Newton,  18 
Nirvana,  147 
Non-resistance,  183 

Objective  evidence,  174 
One  and  the  many,  the,  174 
Optimism,  29,  37,  89,  157,  158, 

177 
Order,  the  old,  11 
Organism,  15,  197,  200-202 
Oriental  contemplation,  175 
Originality,  115,  140 
Origin  of  Species^  The,  168 

Pain,  meaning  of,  8,  201 ;  remedy 
for,  42  ;  serenity  and,  48 ; 
subconscious  mind  and,  56  ; 
in  childhood,  79  ;  relativity  of 
knowledge  and,  143-151  ;  man 
and,  146  ;  creation  and,  146- 
149  ;  evil  and,  146-15 1 ;  growth 
and,  147  ;  perfection  and,  147- 
151  ;  fatigue  and,  148  ;  nature 
of,  148  ;  increase  of,  149  ;  re- 
sponsibility and,  149 ;  evolu- 
tion and,  150  ;  mystery  of,  151 

Pantheism,  185 

Part,  the,  208,  209 

Passion,  29,  33 

Paulsen,  162 

Peace,  29,  38,  39,  137,  141,  142, 

245 
Perfection,  3,  6,  13,  27,  46,  147, 
150,  151,  181,  182 ;  organic, 
scope  of,  197-199;  God  and, 
199,  200  ;  man  and,  200,  201, 
211  ;  characteristics  of,  201- 
205  ;  absolute  and,  206,  207, 
209 ;  eternity  and,  206 ;  pro- 
gress and,  206-210  ;  attain- 
ment of,  207  ;  relation  to  the 
temporal,  209;  limitations  of, 
209 ;    Spirit    and,    210,    211 ; 


252 


Index 


Perfection — Continued 
individual  and,  213,  214  ;  ex- 
perience and,  215^  216  ;  con- 
sciousness and,  216-218  ;  so- 
ciety and,  218,  219 ;  Christ 
and,  220  ;  education  and,  220  ; 
future  life  and,  226,  233 

Perron,  F.,  160 

Perversity,  130 

Pessimism,  14,  29,  74,  158,  177 

Philosopher,  the,  156,  157,  163, 

171,  172,   177,   180-182,  186, 
190 

Philosopher's  instinct,  the,  155 
Philosophical    ideal,    the,    153- 

172,  220 

Philosophical  method,  the,  163- 

170,  188 
Philosophical  motive,  the,  178 
Philosophical  sincerity,  the,  164 
Philosophical  system,  160,  192 
Philosophical  temper,  the,   170, 

171 
Philosophical  truth,  179,  193 
Philosophy,  of  evolution,  10,  19  ; 
world-process  and,  12  ;  of  hu- 
man nature,  26 ;  involved  in 
education,  26  ;  subconscious 
mind  and,  65,  66  ;  the  kinder- 
garten and,  90 ;  relativity  of 
knov^^ledge  and,  144  ;  defined, 
153,  158,^  I59»  163,  177,  198; 
characteristics  of,  154;  basis 
of,  154;  beginning  of,  155, 
166;  problems  of,  155,  160, 
161  ;  scope  of,  155,  156,  158, 
177,  179,  180  ;  essence  of,  156; 
exact,  157  ;  fundamental,  157  ; 
illustrations  of,  157,  158,  163, 
165  ;  ultimate,  158,  162  ;  Kant 
on,  158,  175  ;  Abbot  on,  159  ; 
Bradley  on,  159 ;  Ladd  on, 
159  ;  Martineau  on,  159  ;  aim 
of,  160,  177  ;  historical,  162  ; 
ideal  of,  162 ;  difficulties  of, 
163,  190,  196  ;  method  of,  164; 
relativity  of,  165  ;  doubt  in, 
166,   167  ;  pluralistic  systems 


of,  174  ;  in  India,  175  ;  theo- 
retical, 177  ;  attitude  of,  177  ; 
practical,  178 ;  Greek,  178  ; 
tentative,  180 ;  inconsistency 
and,  185  ;  logic  and,  185  ; 
truth  and,  185  ;  empiricism  in, 
185,  186  ;  origin  of,  186  ; 
speculative  tendencies  in,  186  ; 
intuition  and,  187  ;  experience 
and,  188 ;  temperament  and, 
189  ;  scepticism  and,  190  ;  pre- 
suppositions of,  190  ;  proof 
and,  190;  God  and,  190;  lim- 
itations of,  192  ;  sources  of, 
194  ;  results  of,  198  ;  spiritual, 

233 

Pianist,  140 

"Po,"6o 

Point  of  view,  the  progressive, 
6  ;  the  new,  10-17,  48,  51  ; 
the  relative,  108 

Poise,  8,  28,  32,  41,  42,  45,  46, 
48,  49,  213,  238,  245  ;  physi- 
ology of,  32 ;  as  preventive, 
43  ;  defined,  47  ;  spiritual,  47  ; 
value  of,  78,  80  ;  organic,  213 

Prayer,  76,  87,  139 

Prenatal  influence,  29,  74-77, 
87 

Preparatory  education,  103-107 

Preparatory  schools,  97,  107 

Pressure  system,  the,  28,  89,  106, 
107  ^ 

Prevarication,  99 

Progress,  4,  5,  150,  165,  208,  210 

Proof,  190,  192 

Proof-reading,  98 

Proudfoot,  78 

Providence,  10 

Psychical  research,  27,  53,  188, 
221,  222  ;  proceedings  of  so- 
ciety for,  53,  71 

Psychic  Phenomena^  The  Law 
of.  53,  67 

Punctuation,  98 

Punishment,  79,  132 

Quakers,  31 


Index 


253 


Reading,  102 

Readjustment,  4,  49 

Realism,  174 

Reality,  22,  157,  174,  181,  192, 

193,  213,  241,  242 
Reason,  187,  188,  193 
Recejac,  188 

Reform,  11,  14,  129,  152,  224 

Reform  movements,  129 

Reincarnation,  76,  231 

Relations,  203-205,  217,  218 

Relativity  of  knowledge,  3,  141- 
152,  165,  181,  187-191 

Religion,  102,  144 

Responsibility,  149 

Revelation,  165,  166,  187  ;  spon- 
taneous, 108,  109,  115,  139 

Rhythm,  32,  41,  45,  56,  71,  148 

Riddles  of  the  Sphinx,  178,  194 

Robinson y  Byron,  32 

Royce,  160,  162,  174,  179,  243 

Salvation,  10,  16 

Scenery,  132 

Schiller,  178,  193 

Schofield,  53 

Scholar,  the,  22,  114 

Schopenhauer,  159 

Science,    12,    154 ;    method  of, 

176 
Self,  27 

Self-condemnation,  201 
Self-consciousness,    24,    54,    65, 

69,  76,  93,  114,  116,  140,  194 
Self-consistency,  174,  193,  218 
Self-control,  8,   28,  38,   44,   47, 

50,  78,  79.  94,   107,   194,  226, 

245 
Self-government,  131 
Sensation,  144 
Serenity,  31,  32,  47-51,  138 
Sermon,  139 
Service,  9,  23,  28,  48,  75,  152, 

194,  198,  209,  214,  223 
Seth,  Professor,  191 

Sex  nature,  the,  33,  81,  82 
Shakespeare,  loi,  209 
Sin,  10,  88 


Singing,  113,  124,  140 

Social  ideal,  the,  94,  150 

Socialism,  14,  129 

Social  problem,  the,  14,  15,  154, 
206,  211,  223 

Society,  17,  20,  93,  133 

Socrates,  165,  209 

Soul,  education  and,  iii,  24  ;  ori- 
gin of,  2,  77,  192  ;  growth  of, 
6  ;  defined,  7,  23,  28,  84,  94, 
III,   128;    conditions  of,  8,  9, 

19,  35,  36,  44,  51,  70,  93,  100, 
114,  137,  218,  229-245  ;  rights 
of,  15,  131  ;  creative,  20,  75, 
94 ;  freedom  of,  23,  129 ;  ac- 
tive, 36,  46,  54,  84,  218  ; 
power  of,  36,  38,  47,  85,  225, 
239  ;  force  and,  46  ;  planes  of 
consciousness  and,  54,  69-72  ; 
awakening  of,  100,  224 ;  ex- 
pression of,  102,  109-116,  227, 
245  ;  limited  knowledge  of, 
191  ;  study  of,  224-229  ;  trans- 
ition of,  224,  233-241  ;  unity 
of,  225 ;  psychic  phenomena 
and,  226-228,  233  ;  Spirit  and, 
230-235,240;  communion  of, 
232-234  ;  body  and,  235,  238  ; 
death  and,  236,  240  ;  reality 
and,  241  ;  brain  and,  242-244; 
memory  and,  242-244;  habit 
and,  243  ;  worth  of,  245  ; 
Christ  and,  246 

Sound, 144 

Speaking,  public,  115,  122,  139, 
140 

Speculation,  117,  186 

Spencer,  12,  16,  156 

Spirit,  progressive,  6,  210  ;  char- 
acteristics of,  6,  7,  9,  13,  17, 

20,  39,  65,  70,  75,  76,  116, 
200,  207, 245  ;  our  dependence 
on,  23,  114,  115,  195,  196, 
211  ;  subconscious  mind  and, 
65,  72  ;  education  and,  in  ; 
expression  of,  112-126,  144; 
law  of,  135  ;  ministry  of,  136- 
142 ;    presence  of,    139,    141, 


254 


Index 


Spiri  t —  Continued 
218,   230,   240  ;  manifestation 
of,  140,  141  ;  how  known,  181; 
society    and,     199  ;    organism 
and,  199  ;  coming  of,  222 

Spiritual  atmosphere,  38,  77,  78, 
141 

Spiritual  faculty,  the,  141,  225 

Spiritual  ideal  in  childhood,  the, 
73-92 

Spiritual  life,  the,  8,  17,  221, 
226,  228,  233 

Spontaneity,  66,  72,  75,  76,  108, 
186,  192 

Standard,  moral,  133 

Stenography,  98 

Style,  120,  123 

Subconscious  mind,  the,  educa- 
tion and,  28  ;  theories  of,  53  ; 
books  on,  53  ;  normal,  54 ; 
defined,  54,  69  ;  how  known, 
55  ;   as  agent,  56,   57,  65.  70, 

75,  89,  116  ;  scope  of,  57,  69  ; 
as  storehouse,  58  ;  conscious- 
ness and,  58,  59,  62,  69,  71, 
119;  temperament  and,  58, 
62  ;  never  sleeps,  60,  71  ;  evi- 
dences of,  60-63 ;  prophetic 
power  of,  61  ;  assimilative,  61, 
121 ;   receptivity  of ,  62,  65,  72, 

76,  77,  118,  228;  synthet- 
ic, 62,  118;  products  of,  62, 
122 ;  progressive,  63  ;  tele- 
pathic, 64  ;  use  of,  65,  66,  89  ; 
philosophic,  66  ;  inductive,  66- 
68  ;  Hudson's  theory  of,  67-70; 
forms  of,  68  ;  moral  self  and, 
69,  70 ;  development  of,  70  ; 
relation  to  dreams  and  sleep, 
71,  72 ;  Myers  on,  71,  72 ; 
highest  phase  of,  72,  76  ;  in 
childhood,  75  ;  ideals  and,  76, 
85  ;  teacher  and,  89,  107 ;  cre- 
ative, 119,  121;  literary  work 
and,  121,  124  ;  speaking  and, 
122  ;  organic,  202  ;  future  life 
and,  228 

Suffering,  146,  147,  151 


Suggestion,  56,  57,  63-65, 

70,  107,  116,  118,  234 
Sully,  157 
Sunday-schools,  88 
Sympathy,  14,  no 

Teacher,  the,  iii,  24,  28,  30,  89, 

107,  114,  133,  165 
Telegraphy,  98 
Telepathy,  69,  233,  234 
Temporal,  the,  209 
Ten  Great  Religions ^  102,  103 
Tennyson,  120,  189 
Thales,  162 
Theology,  11-13,  16-18  ;  the  old, 

29,  74,  83,  157,  167 
Theosophists,  76 
Thought,  apex  of,  58-60 
Tobacco,  44,  114 
Trade,  learning  a,  97 
Training  of  the  child,  74,  78-92 
Transmutation,  85 
Travel,  103 
Truth,  8,  127,  128,  169,  185,  188, 

193 
Tuke,  34 
Typesetting,  98 
Typographical  changes,  124 

Ueberweg,  160,  162 

Ultimate  problems,  i,  160,  161 

Unanimous  consensus,  175,  187 

Uncaused,  the,  2 

Universe,  the,  law-governed,  2, 
5  ;  relation  to  mechanical  the- 
ory, 3  ;  an  experiment,  5  ; 
place  of,  7  ;  origin  of,  190 ; 
organic,  199  ;  purpose  of,  205  ; 
evolution  of,  207  ;  progressive, 
210 ;  sound,  210 ;  righteous, 
211 

Vibration,  144 

Voices  of  Freedom y  189,  191 

Volition,  36,  54,  69 

Wallace,  12,  102 
War,  131 


Index 


255 


Whittier,  87 
Will,  34,  89,  236 
Windleband,  160,  175,  178 
Wisdom,  204 
Work,  44,  123,  147 
World,  process  of,  10,  12  ;   pur- 
pose of,  205,  206 
Writer,  the,  115,  1 19-124,  140 


Xenophanes,  163 
Xenophon,  104 


Yudhisthira,  221 
Zeller,  160 


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